If icing their moments was a focus for the Black Ferns this week, it showed against France in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon.
In the first of three tests over the coming weeks, the Black Ferns beat both France and the clock to claim an 81-12 win in a match they dominated from start to finish – rookie winger Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a scoring four tries in the second half in an impressive team performance.
“Really proud of that performance. Coming off the back of our tour overseas, we talked about being able to finish all the moments we were creating,” Black Ferns co-captain Georgia Ponsonby told Sky Sport.
“We created a lot of moments out there today but more importantly we went out there and actually finished them.”
Things looked ominous for the visitors in the opening few minutes as the Black Ferns were allowed room to move and opened gaps in the French defensive line with their ball movement.
A double for halfback Maia Joseph in the first 10 minutes set the tone for what was to come, as the Black Ferns put pressure on the French in all facets of the game.
Their work in the collision areas was brutal at times, with some big hits laid on by props Chryss Viliko and Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, while the loose trio were busy on both sides of the ball, particularly in challenging the breakdown.
France sometimes looked like they were trying to force things to happen, which often resulted in them losing metres or the ball going to ground.
While there were a few errors in the Black Ferns’ handling and some moments of poor execution in their passing, it was a largely polished display and they used their kicking game well – the likes of Hannah King and Amy du Plessis making some terrific clearing plays to turn defence into attack.
Du Plessis, in particular, had a strong game – scoring two tries, setting others up, making tackles and kicking well.
While France had some success at the breakdown turning the ball over, they struggled to get anything going until the game was well out of their reach, though they did score a couple of well-taken tries late in the contest.
It was just the second test the Black Ferns have played on home soil this year, after a 66-19 win over the Wallaroos in late August.
The Black Ferns will ultimately play four tests at home this year, meeting the French again in Whangārei next weekend before ending their season in Christchurch the following week.
Black Ferns 81 (Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a 4, Maia Joseph 2, Amy du Plessis 2, Ayesha Leti-I’iga 2, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Georgia Ponsonby, Ruahei Demant tries; Braxton Sorensen-McGee 8 cons)
France 12 (Lea Murie, Amalia Bazola Allieres tries; Morgane Bourgeois con)
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.