PREVIEW: Black Ferns vs England
PREVIEW: Black Ferns vs England
QUICK TAP: CAPTAIN LES ELDER RETURNS FOR FINAL GAME OF SUPER SERIES
THE SITUATION
The equation is pretty simple for the Black Ferns to win the Super Series title. England sit at the top of the ladder on 13 points with New Zealand three points back and boasting a superior points differential. A victory of any margin will be enough to give the Black Ferns the title – even if England manage to secure a losing bonus point.
PREPERATION IS KEY
Black Ferns coach Glenn Moore says his team has made the most of the seven-day break following the loss to France to prepare for the final match of the series. “We’re looking forward to getting out there this weekend. Overall it was tough out there the other day against France, but we can’t make any excuses. We didn’t play well enough to win. We welcome the seven-day turnaround between this game after playing three games in eight days.”
?? Can the Black Ferns bounce back from their loss to France when they take on England in the final match of #SuperSeries2019 on Monday? @SkySportNZ‘s Kick Off crew takes a look and makes their call! pic.twitter.com/o2y7FcIBv6— Black Ferns (@BlackFerns) July 12, 2019
WORD FROM THE OTHER SIDE
England coach Simon Middleton gives an insight into the feeling in the Red Roses camp ahead of the clash against the Black Ferns. “We’ve shown real character in the past two matches to come away with late victories and we saw a significant step up in our performance against France. However we know we will have to go up another level this Sunday as we’re facing the world champions. On their day they are one of the most challenging teams to play against but we have spoken about peaking in performance for this final game of the series, and that is what we will be expecting,” Middleton said.
WATCH
If you are in New Zealand, tune into SKY Sport for live coverage of all matches (see schedule below). Fans outside of New Zealand can watch all matches through Flo Rugby.
BLACK FERNS SCHEDULE
Black Ferns v Canada – Sat 29 June – 11am NZT, Sky Sport 1 (WON 35-20)
Black Ferns v USA – Wed 3 July – 12.15pm NZT, Sky Sport 1 (WON 33-0)
Black Ferns v France – Sun 7 July – 9.15am NZT, Sky Sport 1 (LOST 16-25)
Black Ferns v England – Mon 15 July – 8am NZT, Sky Sport 1
TEAMS:
Black Ferns: 1. Toka Natua 2. Te Kura Ngata-Arerengemate 3. Aleisha-Pearl Nelson 4. Eloise Blackwell (Vice captain) 5. Charmaine Smith 6. Pia Tapsell 7. Les Elder (Captain) 8. Charmaine McMenamin 9. Kendra Cocksedge (Vice captain) 10. Ruahei Demant 11. Ayesha Leti-I’iga 12. Chelsea Alley 13. Carla Hohepa 14. Renee Wickliffe 15. Kelly Brazier
Reserves: 16. Luka Connor, 17. Phillipa Love, 18. Leilani Perese, 19. Joanah Ngan-Woo, 20. Marcelle Parkes, 21. Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu, 22. Theresa Fitzpatrick, 23. Alena Saili
England: 1. Vickii Cornborough 2. Lark Davies 3. Sarah Bern 4. Catherine O’Donnell 5. Abbie Scott 6. Poppy Cleall 7. Marlie Packer 8. Sarah Hunter (capt) 9. Leanne Riley 10. Zoe Harrison 11. Claudia Macdonald 12. Emily Scott 13. Emily Scarratt 14. Lydia Thompson 15. Sarah McKenna
Reserves: 16. Heather Kerr 17. Ellena Perry 18. Hannah Botterman 19. Zoe Aldcroft 20. Sarah Beckett 21. Amber Reed 22. Millie Wood 23. Kelly Smith