When New Zealand’s director of performance, Allan Bunting, took to the mic to sing a rendition of Dua Lipa’s Levitating at Manurewa intermediate school, the Black Ferns’ last stop before travelling to England for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, he was not only making headlines but perpetuating the champions’ message for the tournament: be brave.
Bunting has been putting himself out of his comfort zone in the lead-up to the competition, on another occasion performing a Haka in front of his players and staff. His karaoke turn caught the team’s attention and the wing Ayesha Leti-I’iga, who scored two tries in the World Cup final in 2022, cracked up laughing when asked about it.
“It’s kind of like that family member who embarrasses you, that was that moment,” Leti-I’iga says, chuckling. “But I’m also not surprised he does things like that from out of nowhere.
“He leads by his actions and we speak a lot about courage in our team. What that looks like is having honest conversations with each other and also having courage to try things on the field.”
The song choice was also apt with the team hovering above many others as one of the favourites to win the final on 27 September, alongside the hosts, England, and Canada. The Red Roses’ unblemished record since the 2022 final, when New Zealand won 34-31, has been impressive, but the Black Ferns are a consistent thorn in England’s side at World Cups.
New Zealand have won the tournament six times, beating England in five finals. While their record since that 2022 final has been imperfect – won 12, lost six and drawn one of 19 Tests – they often seem to come good at the World Cup.
Ruby Tui, a World Cup winner and Olympic champion, says: “When it comes to the World Cup and the Black Ferns it’s just a history that is like a movie every time. It is just crazy. Tournament rugby is a different beast to Test match footy and you can get so in your head subconsciously without you even knowing. The last World Cup we were not going to lose. There are some things that are just written and it was just written. No matter how good you are, what your gameplan is, we were always going to win that World Cup.
“This World Cup I feel like we’ve really got to lock in. It has been a bit rocky but they need to find their thing that is going to make it written in the stars and undeniable.”
One such factor could be the return of Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who came out of international retirement in April at the Pacific Four in New Zealand’s 27-27 draw against Canada, then scored seven tries against the USA in a 79-14 win on the Black Ferns’ route to the trophy. Those tries took her beyond 200 points for her country and gave her the all-time top try-scoring record, overtaking Vanessa Cootes’s tally of 43. Woodman-Wickliffe now has 48 tries in 28 games.
The three-times World Cup winner Kendra Cocksedge says Woodman-Wickliffe brings more than just tries. “Words can’t really describe Portia,” Cocksedge says. “She isn’t human, I don’t believe. It’s like we say with Richie McCaw, she is the same. She is literally the GOAT of the game.
“If you know Portia, she just loves the team environment. She just seems like a fine wine, just getting better with age. She is an absolute freak out there, she is a powerful athlete. She is good to have in your environment and culture as well. So it’s not just on field, it’s what she brings off the field too.”
Woodman-Wickliffe also adds another layer of experience. Kelly Brazier will compete at her fourth World Cup, while Theresa Setefano and Stacey Waaka will play a third. But the team is spliced with new exciting talent, too, among them the 18-year-old Braxton Sorensen-McGee and the Sevens star Jorja Miller.
Both have the potential to be breakout players of the tournament but Sorensen-McGee has particularly impressed in her short international career. She won her first cap in May, scoring two tries on her debut. Now Cocksedge is backing the teenager to start in the majority of games at the tournament, saying: “She is so talented. She is definitely one to watch, she is young and she could open it up.”
The Black Ferns are hitting their stride but teams such as England will present a tough challenge to their bid for a third consecutive World Cup trophy. “Black Ferns,” Tui says, laughing, before the question of who will win has finished being asked. “I can’t not back them. No matter what, no matter the logic that comes out, it’s the Black Ferns. My heart is always going to be the Black Ferns.”
