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'Electric': The 19-year-old who demolished the Wallaroos
By Ned Lester
A Thursday night fixture offered the first glimpse of Black Ferns rugby since the team tackled England in the Rugby World Cup final.
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It’s a new era for the Ferns, who no longer have their Sevens stars and are also without influential halfback Kendra Cocksedge, who retired following the World Cup.
Those departures left some gaping holes in the Black Ferns’ backline and a sense of wonder over how the newcomers would fare on the international stage.
Well, a 50-0 win would indicate the newcomers haven’t taken long to find their feet. The new wing duo of Katelyn Vahaakolo and Mererangi Paul both impressed in their debuts, Paul in particular finding space with ball in hand for two tries.
The standout player though was Sylvia Brunt, the 19-year-old was unstoppable, especially close to the line, scoring two tries herself through a combination of power and agility.
“She’s electric,” New Black Ferns coach Allan Bunting said of his young midfielder after the game. “She’s really courageous and she was absolutely outstanding today.
“Her build-up, in the last few weeks she’s been outstanding so it’s awesome, for such a young lady to go out there and represent her family like that, really proud of her.”
A stunning performance for the @BlackFerns 💪
Sylvia Brunt is @Mastercard Player of the Match 🇳🇿#Priceless | #POTM | #PacificFour2023 pic.twitter.com/T64WvFvDBr
ADVERTISEMENT— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) June 29, 2023
Brunt was awarded player of the match despite being replaced with nearly 30 minutes remaining in the contest.
The Black Ferns next play Canada on July 9th in Ottawa. The Canadians won their first match of the Pacific Four series 50-17 against the USA.
The Canadians reached the quarter-finals in last year’s World Cup and will be out to hit the target on the Black Ferns’ back that comes with being the world champions.
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New Zealand co-captain Kennedy Simon gave a profound response when asked whether her side was feeling the pressure of living up to that champion status every week.
“I think for us it’s about building something bigger than what we’ve done,” She said. “The only time we look back is to acknowledge the people that have paved this pathway for us. But we don’t rest on what’s been and we always try and be better, not just at rugby but as people, trying to inspire not only on the field but off it as well.”
