Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'Ruby (Tui) might be the one that misses out': Pundits debate Black Ferns' outside backs selections

Portia Woodman of the Black Ferns ready for action against the Wallaroos at Rugby World Cup 2021.Photo by Hannah Peters - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images

The Black Ferns have put on three dazzling displays of attacking prowess so far this World Cup, while still providing each squad member with the opportunity to stake their claim on their preferred jersey.

ADVERTISEMENT

That period of experimentation has now come to an end and head coach Wayne Smith faces the difficult task of selecting his premier side, no easy task with rich talent aplenty, especially in the blockbusting back three.

Fan favourites Ruby Tui and Portia Woodman have put in hugely impressive performances, while the hot-stepping World Cup veteran Renee Wickliffe and young superstar Ayesha Leti-I’iga – who earned Smith’s praise as ‘the best player in the world’ during the Pacific Four Series earlier this year – have also put their best foot forward for consideration on the wings.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

Tui also featured at the fullback position in the Wales test, taking over from Renee Holmes who offers by far the best goal-kicking out of all players in the squad, having nailed multiple sideline conversions already in the tournament.

“She’s easily the best,” Ex-Black Fern Chelsea Semple said of Holmes’ goalkicking ability on Sky’s The Breakdown.

“That’s the massive question I guess because he’s (Wayne Smith) going to want to play Portia, Ayesha and Ruby, but you’re going to have to choose one of those to come on as impact, so who’s it going to be?

“If you want your best goal-kicker on the field, which, if we’re going to be playing France and England, we watched the France and England game, it was tight and it came down to it, it could come down to kicks.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Ex-All Black fullback Mils Muliaina agreed it was a difficult choice but kicking had to be prioritised.

“Smithy’s going to have a massive headache picking that,” He said.

“I would say, you’ve got to have Holmes out there, I think you’ve got to have her at the back and Ruby might be the one that actually misses out.

“I mean, when Smithy says you’re the best in the world, he wants the whole team to be the best in the world in that position and that’s what you’re striving for, so when he says that about certain players, he’s picking them to start.”

Semple continued the discussion, taking into consideration who would make the best impact player late in the game.

ADVERTISEMENT

“To me, what Ruby offers away from the ball is massive, and it’s that sevens experience of playing in front of a big crowd and just her demeanour on the field, her ability to stay calm, her ability to lift players up if they’re making mistakes is massive when you’ve got a team who’s relatively inexperienced in playing at a World Cup, so I’d have Ruby on the field.

“For me as well, Portia and Ayesha are very similar types of wingers, for a bit of inside knowledge here, looking at GPS data, they both produce the same type of GPS data, I’m talking about the amount of high-speed meters they covered in comparison to the actual distance they cover whereas Ruby Tui as a winger covers a whole lot more distance, she’s not as much a power winger, she’s a working winger.

“So, I wonder if he’s going to have Ruby and Renee on the field and then have either Portia or Ayesha start with one of them coming off as impact because their type of fitness is different, they’re not necessarily 80-minute wingers, they’re absolute powerful beats of wingers who can change a game so having them at either side of the game will be massively beneficial.”

Another ex-All Black winger, Jeff Wilson, offered a different perspective, one that aligns with what the Black Ferns coaches have been saying throughout the tournament, about their playing style being high-paced and displaying the very best of women’s rugby.

Wilson implied he would start the trio with the most firepower, that being Tui at fullback with Leti-I’iga and Woodman on the wings.

“The way he’ll want to win these games is not going to be with goalkicking, he’s going to try and blow teams off the park.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Kubota Spears vs Tokyo Sungoliath | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Quarter Final Replay

Australia vs USA | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

New Zealand vs Canada | Pacific Four Series 2025 | Full Match Replay

South Africa vs New Zealand | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

Argentina vs Australia | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

The Game that Made Jonah Lomu

The gruelling reality behind one of the fastest sports in the world | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 40 | The Steven Kitshoff Special

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
Solenn Bonnet 8 days ago
Leinster cleanse palette with record URC scoreline against Zebre

My name is Solenn Bonnet, and I am a single mother navigating the challenges of raising my two-year-old child while trying to make ends meet. I came across a trading platform that promised astonishing daily profits of 18%. The allure of such a high return on investment was too tempting to resist, and I found myself drawn into cryptocurrency trading. Excited by the prospect of financial freedom, I invested a significant amount of my savings, totaling over 5.7 BTC. However, what started as a hopeful venture quickly turned into a nightmare. The platform was a scam, and I lost everything I had invested. The emotional toll of this loss was immense; I felt devastated and helpless, struggling to provide for my child and keep up with my bills. In my desperate attempt to recover my funds, I sought help from various recovery experts. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous fraudulent individuals who claimed they could help me retrieve my lost money. Each time I reached out, I was met with disappointment and further scams, which only deepened my despair. Last year was one of the most challenging periods of my life, filled with anxiety and uncertainty about my financial future. Feeling overwhelmed and at a loss, I confided in a close friend from church about my situation. She listened compassionately and shared her own experiences with financial difficulties. Understanding my plight, she introduced me to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, a group of skilled hackers known for their expertise in recovering lost funds. Skeptical yet hopeful, I decided to reach out to them as a last resort. Their services came at a higher cost, but my friend generously offered to help me with a partial payment. I was amazed by how quickly they responded and began the recovery process. Their team was professional, efficient, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire ordeal. To my relief, they successfully recovered more than I had lost to those heartless scammers. This was truly transformative, and I felt a sense of relief and gratitude that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I strongly encourage anyone who has faced similar challenges or fallen victim to scams to reach out to Tech Cyber Force Recovery. If you’ve invested in a fraudulent platform like I did, they are highly capable of helping you reclaim your hard-earned money. Don’t lose hope; there is a way to recover what you’ve lost.

CONSULT TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY

EMAIL.. support@techyforcecyberretrieval.com

WhatsApp.. +15617263697

website.. https://techyforcecyberretrieval.com

Telegram.. +15617263697

0 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Steve Borthwick names 14 uncapped players in 33-man England squad Steve Borthwick names 14 uncapped players in 33-man England squad
Search