Black Ferns director of rugby Alan Bunting said: \u201cWe just needed to hold on to the ball for a bit, build some phases and get our game going. We didn\u2019t get our game going at all in the first half.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Black Ferns caught South Africa off guard<\/a> at the kickoff in the second half. Demant chipped the ball to the 10m mark, allowing Stacey Waaka to seize possession and Renee Holmes capitalised on fast handling.<\/p>\n The Black Ferns found their rhythm, with the dynamic trio of Woodman-Wickliffe, Jorja Miller and Ayesha Leti-I\u2019iga combining effectively to assist Braxton Sorensen-McGee in scoring her eighth try of the Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n South Africa\u2019s limitations were most evident during the Black Ferns\u2019 seventh try, where seven players handled the ball from one touchline to the other. Holmes capped off this sumptuous move, even leaving Sorensen-McGee unmarked and unneeded.<\/p>\n This opportunity for expansion arose from an Alana Bremner lineout poach. The Canterbury lock, in her 33rd test, was in the coalface of the forward exchanges, making 20 tackles and securing four lineout catches. Her locking partner, Maia Ross, was also effective, contributing 15 tackles, two turnovers and four lineout catches.<\/p>\n Waaka was superb in her 30th test and, after taking a battering during the match, she said: \u201cMy nose is just about intact. I don\u2019t look my best but it\u2019s all good. It\u2019s part of rugby, isn\u2019t it? It is what it is. I haven\u2019t tackled that many forwards in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n South Africa deserve credit for their brazen approach. Captain and powerhouse No 8 Aseza Hele said: \u201cIt was very tough, but we gave them a taste of South Africa. They are champions. They had the pressure; we didn\u2019t have the pressure. We made sure they knew that we wanted to be here\u2026 We told ourselves to leave everything on the field, and we did. We emptied our tank.\u201d<\/p>\n England will play France in the other semifinal on Sunday morning (NZT). England beat Scotland 40-8 and France edged Ireland 18-13, with Canada having joined NZ in the Saturday morning match by defeating Australia 46-5.<\/p>\n A statement comeback<\/p>\n When Kaipo Olsen-Baker was stretchered off the field with a suspected ankle fracture against Spain in York on August 24 it seemed her Rugby World Cup campaign was over. <\/p>\n Far from it. <\/p>\n The bulldozing No 8 was named Player of the Match against South Africa, scoring two tries and making seven carries for a total gain of 57m. Even more impressive was her tackle count of 26.<\/p>\n This spectacular display came from a player who had previously missed the 2022 Rugby World Cup because of a foot injury that sidelined her for over a year. <\/p>\n Her fearless approach was best captured in an on-field interview after the match. When asked how the Black Ferns intended to tame South Africa at halftime, she confidently said: \u201cJust AFD, which means all effing day.\u201d<\/p>\n She is Black Fern No 233, has played 14 tests for 10 wins and scored seven tries.<\/p>\n Olsen-Baker comes from tough stock. Her family hails from Rangitukia, north of Tikitiki on the East Coast, before living in Gisborne, where she attended Gisborne Girls\u2019 High School. <\/p>\n Her upbringing was not without adversity. Her father Jason died when she was 1. Her mother Gabrielle later lost another partner and is partially paralysed on the left side of her body. <\/p>\n Sport became an important outlet for Olsen-Baker. She played football with fellow Black Ferns Renee Holmes and Kelsey Teneti and was introduced to rugby by former Black Fern Trish Hina. However, it was in basketball that she initially made the biggest strides, earning a trial with the New Zealand Tall Ferns as a 15-year-old.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a point guard. I started at the YMCA gym, where the games felt like street fights, just like everything else in Gisborne,\u201d Olsen-Baker recalled with a laugh. <\/p>\n \u201cThe only guy who didn\u2019t get any bruises was Ben O\u2019Brien Leaf. He was a referee, writer and commentator, and he would sit there with his little cousin, eating KFC and encouraging us.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I didn\u2019t make the New Zealand team, I quit basketball. The trial was a big deal and I was immature. I was really upset because I wasn\u2019t used to disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n When a friend decided to try for a place at Manakura, an elite M\u0101ori sporting school in Palmerston North, Olsen-Baker decided to follow her. To her complete surprise, she was accepted. From there, her rugby career blossomed and she began playing for the Manawat\u016b Cyclones in the Farah Palmer Cup (FPC) while still in school.<\/p>\n Olsen-Baker made her memorable test debut against Australia in Tauranga in 2022. In a tight contest played in torrential rain, she scored a 20m runaway try to help break a 10-10 stalemate. She also had another strong showing in a 28-0 whitewash against Canada, but then injury struck.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one has ever seen me cry before, so when they saw me, people thought, \u2018Oh my God, it must be bad\u2019. It took me months of rehab to get it right.\u201d<\/p>\n By 2023, Olsen-Baker was back and better than ever. She was nominated for FPC Player of the Year and topped the FPC charts for most carries (113), most defenders beaten (69) and most offloads (26). <\/p>\n In 2024, she shifted from the Hurricanes Poua to Matat\u016b for Super Rugby Aupiki, ranking in the top 10 for carries (59), metres gained (286) and offloads (9). <\/p>\n In an inconsistent Black Ferns, Olsen-Baker was outstanding, winning the Player of the Year Award. Since the inception of this annual prize in 1994, the only other loose forwards to have won it are Rochelle Martin, Sarah Hirini, Charmaine McMenamin, Kennedy Simon and Liana Mikaele Tu\u2019u.<\/p>\n Who said women at rugby don\u2019t drink?<\/p>\nBlack Fern Kaipo Olsen-Baker prepares to pack down in a scrum against the powerful South Africans. Photo \/ SmartFrame<\/p>\n