{"id":395683,"date":"2026-04-24T16:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/395683\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T16:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T16:36:16","slug":"black-ferns-v-australia-whitney-hansens-message-to-pacific-four-series-rookies-left-uncapped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/395683\/","title":{"rendered":"Black Ferns v Australia: Whitney Hansen\u2019s message to Pacific Four Series rookies left uncapped"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThey know their time will come if they keep working hard and they\u2019ve been excited about the learnings and the growth in their games just from being around these athletes.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

In recent Black Ferns seasons, selection in the touring squad has generally led to at least one appearance for a player as the side looked to build on its depth. <\/p>\n

However, in her first tour at the helm, Hansen has taken a different approach and noted the opportunity that simply being in the squad presented for young players, while largely opting for continuity on the field. <\/p>\n

That has again been a feature of the squad Hansen has put together for Saturday night\u2019s test against the Wallaroos on the Sunshine Coast, with limited changes to the 23. <\/p>\n

Mo\u2019omo\u2019oga Palu will make her first test appearance starting at tighthead prop alongside experienced front row partners Chryss Viliko (20 tests) and Georgia Ponsonby (39). <\/p>\n

Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu moves to the bench and Tanya Kalounivale drops out of the matchday squad. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe Black Ferns won their first two tests in the Pacific Four Series convincingly. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n

Outside back Justine McGregor draws the assignment on the right wing for her first start in three tests, with Mererangi Paul moving to the bench in a straight swap. <\/p>\n

She is joined there by 10-test Black Ferns hooker Atlanta Lolohea, who replaces Vici-Rose Green as Ponsonby\u2019s cover. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think continuity is important but we also need to think about how we keep growing depth so that we\u2019ve got a team that\u2019s going to be really sustainable long-term. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor both Justine and Ona [Palu], that\u2019s an exciting opportunity for them to start, and you might see some different people come off the bench in different positions too,\u201d Hansen said. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a game that we wanted to come out and showcase to the world and showcase to our fans back home and showcase to ourselves. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re happy with the performances we\u2019re putting out there. We\u2019re building every week and I know this week we\u2019ll go one better again.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Black Ferns have been impressive in their first tour under Hansen\u2019s charge, with big wins over both the United States and Canada to be on the verge of retaining the Pacific Four Series title.<\/p>\n

A bonus-point loss will be good enough for the Black Ferns to lift the trophy again. <\/p>\n

Australia have never beaten the Black Ferns and are currently at the bottom of the Pacific Four Series standings with two losses and a \u201345 points differential. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re coming out with nothing to lose and everything to play for,\u201d Hansen said of the Wallaroos. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we know is we haven\u2019t seen the best of Australia yet. They\u2019re building every week, they\u2019ve been better each time they\u2019ve come out, they\u2019ll be incredibly physical and they\u2019re playing at home. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be an exciting opportunity to see them at their best too.\u201d <\/p>\n

Black Ferns v Australia<\/p>\n

Sunshine Coast Stadium, Sunshine Coast, Australia.<\/p>\n

Saturday, April 25, 9.45pm (NZT).<\/p>\n

Black Ferns v Australia (test caps in brackets) <\/p>\n

1. Chryss Viliko (20) <\/p>\n

2. Georgia Ponsonby (39) <\/p>\n

3. Mo\u2019omo\u2019oga Palu (uncapped) <\/p>\n

4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos (40) <\/p>\n

5. Laura Bayfield (8) <\/p>\n

6. Liana Mikaele-Tu\u2019u (37) <\/p>\n

7. Kennedy Tukuafu (36) – co-captain <\/p>\n

8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker (18) <\/p>\n

9. Maia Joseph (18) <\/p>\n

10. Ruahei Demant (53) – co-captain <\/p>\n

11. Ayesha Leti-I\u2019iga (32) <\/p>\n

12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai\u2019i Sylvia Brunt (31) <\/p>\n

13. Amy Du\u2019Plessis (24) <\/p>\n

14. Justine McGregor (2) <\/p>\n

15. Renee Holmes (31) <\/p>\n

Bench: <\/p>\n

16. Atlanta Lolohea (10) <\/p>\n

17. Maddison Robinson (2) <\/p>\n

18. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu (5) <\/p>\n

19. Maama Mo\u2019onia Vaipulu (9) <\/p>\n

20. Mia Anderson (2) <\/p>\n

21. Tara Turner (2) <\/p>\n

22. Hannah King (12) <\/p>\n

23. Mererangi Paul (16) <\/p>\n

Christopher Reive<\/a> joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThey know their time will come if they keep working hard and they\u2019ve been excited about the learnings…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373681,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[85,7022,10541,3011,93550,101,6096,111,139,69,13572,155272,1963,213,61,183366,56180],"class_list":{"0":"post-395683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-australia","9":"tag-black","10":"tag-ferns","11":"tag-four","12":"tag-hansens","13":"tag-left","14":"tag-message","15":"tag-new-zealand","16":"tag-newzealand","17":"tag-nz","18":"tag-pacific","19":"tag-rookies","20":"tag-series","21":"tag-sports","22":"tag-to","23":"tag-uncapped","24":"tag-whitney"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=395683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/395683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=395683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=395683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=395683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}