The Black Ferns are gearing up for their opening match of the year against USA in the Pacific Four Series at Heart Health Park, Sacramento on Saturday, April 11, 4.00pm PST kick-off (Sunday, April 12, 11.00am NZT). <\/p>\n
The\u00a0Black Ferns coaching group has selected their\u00a0first\u00a0match-day 23 which includes\u00a0loose forward\u00a0Mia Anderson,\u00a0halfback Tara\u00a0Turner\u00a0and winger Justine McGregor\u00a0in-line\u00a0to make their Black Ferns debuts\u00a0off the bench.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saturday will\u00a0also\u00a0mark a historic\u00a0moment\u00a0for co-captain\u00a0Ruahei\u00a0Demant\u00a0as she\u00a0becomes\u00a0the most capped Black Ferns captain on 36 Tests,\u00a0surpassing Black Ferns legend\u00a0Fiao\u2019o\u00a0Fa\u2019amausili\u00a0who led\u00a035\u00a0matches between 2012-2018.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Black Ferns Head Coach Whitney Hansen said she was pleased with the way the three debutants have progressed\u00a0and paid tribute to Demant\u2019s achievement.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0exciting to reward our debutants with the opportunity to\u00a0wear\u00a0the black jersey for the first time,\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0shown determination and resilience to get here\u00a0throughout\u00a0their respective journeys. Representing Aotearoa is always a privilege and it\u2019s going to be a special moment\u00a0for our players and their wh\u0101nau to witness what they do against USA,\u201d Hansen said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are\u00a0incredibly\u00a0fortunate to have\u00a0Ruahei\u00a0as a leader in our environment. The way she carries herself, her\u00a0mana, and the leadership\u00a0she offers\u00a0to\u00a0this team is immense.\u00a0On behalf of the group, we congratulate her on reaching this milestone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the starting XV, the front row will see\u00a0loosehead\u00a0prop\u00a0Chryss\u00a0Viliko\u00a0celebrate her 20th\u00a0Test milestone\u00a0alongside\u00a0tighthead\u00a0prop\u00a0Veisinia\u00a0Mahutariki-Fakalelu\u00a0and Georgia Ponsonby anchoring the scrum.\u00a0Maiakawanakaulani\u00a0Roos\u00a0and Laura Bayfield\u00a0start in the\u00a0locks, while\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0loose forwards\u00a0Liana Mikaele-Tu\u2019u\u00a0and co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu\u00a0join\u00a0Kaipo Olsen-Baker\u00a0in the no.8 jersey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the backs, Maia Joseph is named halfback\u00a0alongside\u00a0Demant in first-five eighth.\u00a0The formidable combination of\u00a0Amy\u00a0Du\u2019Plessis\u00a0and\u00a0Logo-I-Pulotu\u00a0Lemapu-Atai\u2019i\u00a0Sylvia Brunt\u00a0will be seen\u00a0in the midfield, while\u00a0Ayesha Leti-I\u2019iga\u00a0and\u00a0Mererangi\u00a0Paul look to bring pace on the wings.\u00a0Renee Holmes\u00a0rounds\u00a0out the starting 23 in fullback.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vici-Rose Green, Awhina Tangen-Wainohu, Tanya\u00a0Kalounivale,\u00a0Maama\u00a0Mo\u2019onia\u00a0Vaipulu\u00a0and Hannah King will\u00a0look to\u00a0bring impact from the bench, along with the\u00a0three uncapped players.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
The Black Ferns last met with the USA in the final game of the Pacific Four Series\u00a0last year\u00a0at North Harbour\u00a0Stadium\u00a0which saw them claim the series after a 79-14 win.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hansen said:\u00a0\u201cThis match is the\u00a0first opportunity for us to test our rugby identity and highlight our strengths.\u00a0Our identity isn\u2019t completely\u00a0new;\u00a0it\u2019s refining what has already been done and we look forward\u00a0to\u00a0putting out a strong performance\u00a0in front of fans in the USA\u00a0and back home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The match will be broadcast\u00a0LIVE\u00a0on Sky Sport 1 from 10.30am NZT in New Zealand with highlights available on\u00a0Sky Sports\u00a0YouTube.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Black Ferns v USA\u00a0(Test caps)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
1. Chryss\u00a0Viliko\u00a0(19)\u00a0<\/p>\n
2. Georgia Ponsonby\u00a0(37)\u00a0<\/p>\n
3. Veisinia\u00a0Mahutariki-Fakalelu\u00a0(3)<\/p>\n
4. Maiakawanakaulani\u00a0Roos\u00a0(38)\u00a0<\/p>\n
5. Laura Bayfield\u00a0(6)<\/p>\n
6. Liana Mikaele-Tu\u2019u\u00a0(35)<\/p>\n
7. Kennedy Tukuafu\u00a0(34)\u00a0\u2013 co-captain\u00a0<\/p>\n
8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker\u00a0(16)<\/p>\n
9. Maia Joseph\u00a0(16)\u00a0<\/p>\n
10. Ruahei\u00a0Demant (51)\u00a0\u2013 co-captain\u00a0<\/p>\n
11. Ayesha Leti-I\u2019iga\u00a0(30)<\/p>\n
12. Logo-I-Pulotu\u00a0Lemapu-Atai\u2019i\u00a0Sylvia Brunt\u00a0(29)<\/p>\n
13. Amy\u00a0Du\u2019Plessis\u00a0(22)<\/p>\n
14. Mererangi\u00a0Paul\u00a0(14)<\/p>\n
15. Renee Holmes\u00a0(29)<\/p>\n
16. Vici-Rose Green\u00a0(5)<\/p>\n
17. Awhina Tangen-Wainohu\u00a0(10)<\/p>\n
18. Tanya\u00a0Kalounivale\u00a0(27)\u00a0<\/p>\n
19. Maama\u00a0Mo\u2019onia\u00a0Vaipulu\u00a0(7)<\/p>\n
20. Mia Anderson*<\/p>\n
21. Tara Turner*\u00a0<\/p>\n
22. Hannah King\u00a0(10)<\/p>\n
23. Justine McGregor*\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Three debutants\u00a0have been\u00a0named to play v USA.
\nLoosehead prop Chryss\u00a0Viliko will celebrate her 20th\u00a0Test milestone.\u00a0
\nCo-captain Ruahei\u00a0Demant is set to reach a historic milestone as most capped Black Ferns\u00a0captain on 36 Tests.\u00a0
\nThe last time the Black Ferns played the USA their\u00a079-14\u00a0victory at North Harbour Stadium, Auckland\u00a0helped them win the Pacific Four Series 2025<\/p>\n
Black\u202fFerns\u202fPacific\u202fFour\u202fSeries\u202f2026 Schedule\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Black\u202fFerns\u202fv USA\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saturday,\u202fApril\u202f11, 4.00pm\u202fPT\u202f(Sunday,\u202fApril\u202f12, 11.00am NZT)\u202fkick-off\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heart\u202fHealth\u202fPark,\u202fSacramento,\u202fCalifornia\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Black\u202fFerns\u202fv\u202fCanada\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Friday,\u202fApril\u202f17, 5.15pm\u202fCT\u202f(Saturday,\u202fApril\u202f18, 10.15am NZT)\u202fkick-off\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
CPKC\u202fStadium,\u202fKansas\u202fCity,\u202fMissouri\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Black\u202fFerns\u202fv\u202fAustralia\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saturday,\u202fApril\u202f25\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
9.45pm AEST\u202fkick-off\u202f(7.45pm NZT)\u202fkick-off\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sunshine\u202fCoast\u202fStadium\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Black Ferns are gearing up for their opening match of the year against USA in the Pacific…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":596419,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-596418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=596418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/596418\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/596419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=596418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=596418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=596418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}