I think that will happen, with Paul going to the wing. I would rate Brunt and du Plessis as the 4th and 5th midfield options. Waaka and Setefano haven't even featured yet.
Canada have also brought some of their sevens players in.
Du Plessis isn't good enough to start IMO. Bench option at best. She did have a good Aupiki season but was shown up in the Aupiki final by Demant and Woodman. Du Plessis also fluffed a 4-1 overlap last week. I guess Bunting is being cautious against Canada but it would've been a far more potent backline to reunite the Matatu halves (Joseph/King) and unite the Blues midfield (Demant/Woodman). That then gives room for a Leti-Iiga/Sorensen-McGee/Vahaakolo back-3 with Waaka/Setefano on the bench.
Also thought the loosies are wrong. Not sure why Sa'e keeps starting. She was the least impressive of all the loosies in Aupiki. I'd have put Mikaele-Tu'u at six, Olsen-Baker at eight, and start Tukuafu at seven but with Miller on the bench. Mikaele-Tu'u is the lineout option among those three.
@Auckman said in Black Ferns 2025:
Du Plessis isn't good enough to start IMO. Bench option at best. She did have a good Aupiki season but was shown up in the Aupiki final by Demant and Woodman. Du Plessis also fluffed a 4-1 overlap last week. I guess Bunting is being cautious against Canada but it would've been a far more potent backline to reunite the Matatu halves (Joseph/King) and unite the Blues midfield (Demant/Woodman). That then gives room for a Leti-Iiga/Sorensen-McGee/Vahaakolo back-3 with Waaka/Setefano on the bench.
Also thought the loosies are wrong. Not sure why Sa'e keeps starting. She was the least impressive of all the loosies in Aupiki. I'd have put Mikaele-Tu'u at six, Olsen-Baker at eight, and start Tukuafu at seven but with Miller on the bench. Mikaele-Tu'u is the lineout option among those three.
I'm a fan of du Plessis, but she lacks a bit of pace.
@kev du Plessis offers little at centre. No pace and seldom makes a line break. We need some x-factor at centre, so either Stacey or Portia. Joseph is also a handbrake at halfback at times. I'll be interested to see what Pouri-Lane can do. If the BFs want to play up-tempo you can't select a halfback who is so deliberate before passing. Woodman-Wickliffe needed her hands on the ball.
And defending the lineout drive. England will brutally expose them there.
The inability to defend a maul is still a major Achilles heel of this BF team. Also need a fetcher at 7. Tukuafu isn’t up to it. She needs to be Les Elder’d and dropped completely. I thought she might reproduce her Aupiki form with her turnover rate but nope. Miller needs to be picked here but I’m worried Bunting will still start Tukuafu next week. Miller needs to get the full game to get her minutes up.
However, the inability to give good ball to the wings is also a major problem. The ball dies when it gets to AdP. She needs to be dropped. The fact that Bumting only got rid of her with 5mins to go instead of shifting Woodman to centre is a huge concern - it means Bunting actually rates AdP and she might well be going to the World Cup possibly at the expense of far better midfielders like Setefano and Waaka. That’ll be a massive selection error if he does that. She’s not up to it. Brunt played well though.
Agree on Joseph. Her passing is so slow it’s a massive liability.
England will destroy this BF team. Bunting really doesn’t have a clue.
The roles of the loose forwards aren't matching their jersey number. Tukuafu was often stationed out wide and made plenty of metres carrying. Mikaele-Tu'u was fairly anonymous against Canada with the ball.
The rest of the BF7s players start, as well as some debutants.
1 Kate Henwood
2 Georgia Ponsonby
3 Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu*
4 Alana Bremner
5 Maiakawanakaulani Roos
6 Liana Mikaele-Tu’u
7 Jorja Miller*
8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker
9 Risaleaana Pouri-Lane*
10 Ruahei Demant (cc)
11 Katelyn Vahaakolo
12 Theresa Setefano
13 Stacey Waaka
14 Portia Woodman-Wickliffe
15 Braxton Sorensen-McGee
16 Vici-Rose Green*
17 Awhina Tangen-Wainohu
18 Tanya Kalounivale
19 Chelsea Bremner
20 Kennedy Tukuafu (cc)
21 Maia Joseph
22 Hannah King
23 Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt
@Bovidae said in Black Ferns 2025:
3 Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu*
Incredible stuff at 20 years old. Major knee surgery first year out of school, a debut season in the FPC last year, Aupiki debut this year and finally an intertnational debut all in under 12 months.
@Bovidae said in Black Ferns 2025:
The rest of the BF7s players start, as well as some debutants.
4 Alana Bremner
19 Chelsea Bremner
I thought they had dropped one of the Bremners? My bad
@booboo said in Black Ferns 2025:
I thought they had dropped one of the Bremners? My bad
Chelsea had been dropped but has been added to the squad as an injury replacement for Dhys Faleafaga.
The x-factor of the BF7s players is evident, and see what a difference a halfback who passes quickly makes to the attack.
@Bovidae said in Black Ferns 2025:
The x-factor of the BF7s players is evident, and see what a difference a halfback who passes quickly makes to the attack.
Very good, Georgia Miller has been impressive.
@Bovidae said in Black Ferns 2025:
The x-factor of the BF7s players is evident, and see what a difference a halfback who passes quickly makes to the attack.
Yeah, the backline looked so much better. Lineout and maul D. needs work. I think they go all out attack with players like Miller and hope to score more than England/France. Kicking game will need to be better.
@kev said in Black Ferns 2025:
@Bovidae said in Black Ferns 2025:
The x-factor of the BF7s players is evident, and see what a difference a halfback who passes quickly makes to the attack.
Yeah, the backline looked so much better. Lineout and maul D. needs work. I think they go all out attack with players like Miller and hope to score more than England/France. Kicking game will need to be better.
Very impressive with ball in hand. If we can get close to parity up front, we can turn games into a track meet, and I'm not sure there will be many teams who will keep up with us over 80 minutes.
That team v USA is essentially the first XV give or take a few of the tight-five - I’d like Chelsea Bremner to start instead of her sister. Alana could be an option off the bench but Chelsea is a specialist lock. Alana is a loose forward / lock. Visinia-Fakalelu is certainly someone to develop further but she’s got the size to match the English/French behemoth forwards. Probably doesn’t have the power down pat yet. Henwood had her moments. We’ve still got problems at hooker — especially at lineout time. The lineouts malfunctioned at various points during this pac-4. I wish Bunting had made it his special mission to develop the forwards in the past three years. We know we’ve got the backs to run any team into the ground; it’s just the right-five we need.
Risi Pouri-Lane is a massive upgrade on Joseph. As is Miller on Tukuafu (who is better to go to 6 or 8 off the bench) and Waaka on AdP. Massive upgrade.
Add Leti-Iiga and Brunt and it’s pretty much perfect.
1 month later
Some injuries and additions for the squad to play the Black Ferns XV and Australia in July.
Saturday, July 5, 1.05pm – Black Ferns v Black Ferns XV trial-match, Semenoff Stadium, Whangārei.
Saturday, July 12, 4.30pm kick-off – Black Ferns v Australia, Sky Stadium, Wellington.
Friday, July 25 – RWC squad announcement event (more details to come)
Wednesday, August 13 – Travel day to England for the RWC
