Thirteen tries and four for Tuliau-Tua'a: Black Ferns 81, France 12

The Black Ferns opened their home series against France with 13 tries and an 81-12 win at FMG Stadium Waikato in Hamilton on Saturday 17 October. They led 43-0 at half-time, and 20-year-old wing Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a scored four tries in her first Test start.

A first half that was over in 30 minutes

Halfback Maia Joseph scored 65 seconds in and again around the ten-minute mark. Wing Ayesha Leti-I'iga added the third and centre Amy du Plessis scored twice in quick succession, so the Black Ferns led 31-0 inside half an hour. No 8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker went over from close range, and co-captain Georgia Ponsonby scored down the short side on the stroke of half-time.

Leti-I'iga scored again within 75 seconds of the restart, and then the afternoon became Tuliau-Tua'a's. Her first try needed the TMO, her second made it 60-0, and her third and fourth came after France had finally scored, the last from a cross-kick by co-captain Ruahei Demant. Demant, back from the calf injury she picked up in South Africa, came off the bench and scored a try of her own.

France scored through wing Léa Murie just before the hour and replacement prop Amalia Bazola-Allières late on, with fullback Morgane Bourgeois kicking the conversion. Fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee kicked eight conversions from 13 attempts for 16 points.

The numbers

The Black Ferns made 23 line breaks to France's two, with 12 different players breaking the line, four of them by Leti-I'iga. They made 20 entries into France's 22 and came away with an average of four points from each, and carried the ball 103 more times than the visitors. France made 72 per cent of their tackles. Points by half: 43 and 38.

"We talked a lot about icing it this week," said coach Whitney Hansen, whose side had lost 26-19 to England in their previous Test. Ponsonby said the difference was that the team finished the chances it made.

A young France

France came with a young, inexperienced side, as coach François Ratier had warned: halfback Alexandra Chambon captained them for the first time, with regular captain Manaé Feleu at home sitting medical exams, and lock Ylona Avril made her Test debut in the starting side, with three more uncapped players on the bench. Élodie Fernandez made her first Test start at first five-eighth. Teani Feleu, Manaé's younger sister, played centre.

The two sides have been close before: France beat the Black Ferns 18-17 in Wellington in 2023, and the Black Ferns won the 2022 World Cup semifinal by a point. This was a different story, and Hansen warned that France will come back harder. "We know there's a bit of a storm coming," she said.

Who played

Black Ferns: Chryss Viliko, Georgia Ponsonby (co-captain), Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, Maiakawanakaulani Roos, Maama Mo'onia Vaipulu, Liana Mikaele-Tu'u, Elinor-Plum King, Kaipo Olsen-Baker, Maia Joseph, Hannah King, Ayesha Leti-I'iga, Sylvia Brunt, Amy du Plessis, Shyrah Tuliau-Tua'a, Braxton Sorensen-McGee. Bench: Vici-Rose Green, Ngano Tavake, Santo Taumata, Laura Bayfield, Layla Sae, Tara Turner, Ruahei Demant (co-captain), Mererangi Paul.

The second Test, the Black Ferns' 150th, is in Whangārei on Saturday 24 October at 3.05pm.