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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Sarah Rendell

Be brave: Black Ferns’ key message for Women’s Rugby World Cup defence

Ruby Tui in action during New Zealand’s 24-12 defeat by England last September.
Ruby Tui in action during New Zealand’s 24-12 defeat by England last September. ‘My heart is always going to be the Black Ferns,’ she says. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

When New Zealand’s director of performance, Allan Bunting, took to the mic to sing a rendition of Dua Lipa’s Levitating at Manurewa intermediate school, the Black Ferns’ last stop before travelling to England for the Women’s Rugby World Cup, he was not only making headlines but perpetuating the champions’ message for the tournament: be brave.

Bunting has been putting himself out of his comfort zone in the lead-up to the competition, on another occasion performing a Haka in front of his players and staff. His karaoke turn caught the team’s attention and the wing Ayesha Leti-I’iga, who scored two tries in the World Cup final in 2022, cracked up laughing when asked about it.

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