Black Ferns to play in Tauranga

Black Fern Luka Connor at an open training at Mount Manganui College on Tuesday ahead of the team’s match against Australia at Tauranga Domain on June 6. Photo: John Borren.

Bay of Plenty rugby fans are in for a treat this Monday, June 6, as the Black Ferns take on old foes Australia, and Canada battle the USA at Tauranga Domain in what is a significant year for women's rugby.

While getting a taste of the action that will be on display at October's Rugby World Cup here in NZ, the Pacific Four Series fixture on the public holiday is the first time Kiwi fans can witness the Black Ferns in an international test match on home soil since August 2019.

The Black Ferns hosted an opening training at Mount Maunganui College on Tuesday, then some players headed to Te Puke Intermediate Wednesday to meet students.

New Zealand is hosting the 2022 Pacific Four Series on three days; on June 6 at Tauranga Domain, June 12 at The Trusts Arena in Waitakere and June 18 at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei.

Contested by NZ, Australia, Canada and USA, the annual international competition acts as one of the principle annual qualification routes for the top tier of WXV from 2023 – and will serve as crucial preparation for Rugby World Cup 2021, which kicks off October 8 in Auckland.

Black Ferns director of rugby Wayne Smith says the Black Ferns are looking forward to vital test match rugby. 'It's been a long time since we have played tests in NZ. We know how important it is for us as a group to get these tests but also how important it is for NZ as a country to have the opportunity to get excited about women's rugby in the build-up to the World Cup.” The World Rugby-funded competition soft-launched with Canada versus USA last November. Pandemic challenges meant Australia and NZ were unable to participate in year one of the series – as such, the full four-team format debut this June 6 creates a bumper schedule of competitive fixtures.

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin says his organisation is committed to increasing the competitiveness of the women's game at the elite level through high-performance competitions.

'This is an incredibly exciting year for women's rugby, especially for New Zealanders, and we look forward to what will be two great showcases of the women's game in the country.”

Broadcast live in NZ on Spark Sport, the Pacific Four Series is on June 6, at Tauranga Domain. Kick-off times are Canada v USA at 12.15pm; then New Zealand v Australia at 2.45pm.

You may also like....

0 comments

Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.