“We just didn’t kick well enough in the first half,” Black Ferns head coach Whitney Hansen said.
“The space was there and the decision-making to do it, we just didn’t execute a lot of our kicks. I think that put us under a bit of pressure.
“[We] came out and did that better in the second half at times, but we wanted to be better again this week and we have done that in some areas, but in general, I think our work in and around our ruck, our ball carry, and two in the tackle got highlighted as something that can go better again.”
The Black Ferns also appear set to finish the season without star No 8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker, who left the field midway through the first half with a suspected lower-leg injury after going down away from the play. Olsen-Baker was helped from the field, then carried across from the bench to the sheds at halftime.
Hansen said she thought the injury occurred in one of the collisions and was unsure of the severity.
France made eight changes with experienced heads such as first five-eighths Carla Arbez, midfielder Gabrielle Vernier and fullback Emilie Boulard inserted into the starting line-up.
The visitors were expected to produce a better showing than in Hamilton and it was evident from the opening minutes they would on both sides of the ball.
But it was a 65-minute performance from the French. They couldn’t keep up with the Black Ferns in the final 15 minutes and the hosts made them pay with a couple of tries triggered through long-range breaks.
The first came from individual brilliance by fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee, who sliced through the defensive line before showing her footwork and speed to get around the last defender. The second, midfielder Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt was put through a hole by first five-eighths Ruahei Demant, sparking a move that ended with right winger Mererangi Paul getting her second of the day in the 72nd minute.
That pushed the score out beyond the reach of the French, who led twice in the contest and trailed 14-12 with 13 minutes to play.
The Black Ferns found themselves facing scoreboard pressure early, with France hitting the lead through hooker Mathilde Lazarko from a lineout drive six minutes in.
France did well exploiting the space behind the Black Ferns’ defence with their kicking game and vision, and made territory pressure pay.
The lead didn’t hold long, with the Black Ferns – who also looked to kick for territory throughout the contest – keeping the ball in their hands to test the defence.
While they were made to work hard for it, they strung plenty of phases together before halfback Tara Turner put Paul over with a lovely skip pass.
France hit the lead again 23 minutes in when Arbez spotted space out wide with Paul defending behind the line. The French No 10 sent a perfect kick pass out to winger Anais Grando, who did the rest.
The Black Ferns led at halftime, though, with impressive rookie Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a scoring out wide – and the match stayed at 14-12 until Amarante Sititi scored in the 67th minute.
From there, the hosts ran away with it to claim a 19-point win.
The sides will close out the series in Christchurch next Saturday.
Black Ferns 31 (Mererangi Paul 2, Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a, Amarante Sititi, Braxton Sorensen-McGee tries; Braxton Sorensen-McGee 3 cons)
France 12 (Mathilde Lazarko, Anaïs Grando try; Carla Arbez con)
HT: 14-12
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.