What did netball and rugby's main events at the weekend share in common? The energy and exuberance of youth, Merryn Anderson and Suzanne McFadden discover.
You may not think you could draw too many parallels between the Black Ferns grinding down world No.3 rugby nation Canada, and the Pulse walking over the Stars in netball’s premiership grand final, both played out on Sunday afternoon.
Yes, two sides dominated their encounters. The Pulse smothered the Stars from the get-go in their 56-37 title victory in Wellington; the Black Ferns taking a little longer to evade the clutches of Canada, running out 28-0 winners with a more complete second half in Auckland.
But there was something else the two big matches of the weekend shared: The youth in both winning sides stood up to the test of professional sport.
You’d like to think that puts both netball and rugby in good stead for the future.
Of course, the national sides in both codes are desperate to be at their absolute competitive best in the very near future. The Black Ferns when they defend their world title at home in four months’, and the Silver Ferns to deal with their unfinished business at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next month.
Suzanne McFadden was in the crowd as the Black Ferns made positive steps forward, while Merryn Anderson watched the young Pulse side make history – twice in one afternoon.
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PACIFIC FOUR SERIES: BLACK FERNS 28, CANADA 0.
Wayne Smith, the Black Ferns’ new director of coaching, was glad he’d read the text messages from Ruby Tui.
The sevens star, who’s thriving in her new 15s environment, messaged Smith and told him to keep an eye on an 18-year-old Auckland midfielder named Sylvia Brunt at the Black Ferns camp.
“I didn’t know she was,” Smith admits. “But she sent me texts saying: ‘You’ve got to see this girl play’.”
Then Brunt was called into the Black Ferns squad of 32 as a travelling reserve for the Pacific Four Series, but on Sunday made her debut in the black jersey against Canada.
And, when she did, somewhere around 50 minutes into the clash, the bottom of the Waitākere Stadium grandstand erupted. The Sylvia Brunt fan club – made up of Auckland whānau, Ponsonby Fillies team-mates and Mt Albert Grammar school-mates – screamed and wildly waved huge homemade banners.
Brunt responded. “She made a massive impact, she sparked up that field,” her captain, Ruahei Demant said, after the Black Ferns’ victory. “I’m so excited for her future in this jersey.”
Tui first saw Brunt aged 16, when they played in the Fillies together: “I thought she was in her mid-20s, just the level of rugby intelligence she had.
“Sis is so quiet, she’s really polite. But as soon as she crosses that white line, something happens... Like Wolverine, she transforms. That kid is going to be one of the greats, eh.”
The other Black Ferns debutant in the game, 22-year-old Amy du Plessis, made quite an impression as a next-gen Fern, too. Playing at centre, du Plessis was strong on both attack and defence, and linked up well with Brunt when she entered the game.
Her searing break down the left wing (despite cramping up) near the end of the game, was finished off by Tui for her second try of the match.
“That’s probably the best game I’ve seen Amy play,” said Smith, noting the work South African-born du Plessis has done on her game with All Black centre Conrad Smith as her mentor.
Smith was full of compliments for the home side, who made it two from two in this series after their 23-10 win over Australia in heavy rain last week. He also called Demant (who started at second five next to Hazel Tubic at No.10) “probably the best player in the country at the moment”.
And yet for a second time, the Black Ferns struggled in the first half to avoid handling errors, link up passes or score tries. Even with a brisk wind behind them, they led only 6-0 at halftime thanks to two Tubic penalties.
The Canadians, ranked third in the world, put in some big hits on defence and looked threatening on attack just before halftime. But the breeze died, the Black Ferns made their connections more often, and a Tui chip-and-chase try opened the gates for three more New Zealand tries (including one each from 20-year-old lock Maia Roos and flanker Alana Bremner).
Tui credited fellow wing Ayesha Leti-I’iga with coaching her in her kicking game. Meanwhile, Leti-I’iga showed off her power for a second week straight, relentlessly piercing Canada’s defence and earning player of the match.
"Our wingers are world-class aren't they?” Smith said. “You can see why we want to play some rugby because you've got to use your great players.
“Ruby hasn't played a lot of 15s, but it's incredible how she picks things up. She's been working on that kick for three weeks. To do it under pressure - she's special.”
Even down to 14 women twice during the game, the Black Ferns’ exceptional defence still kept a disappointed Canada scoreless.
Sticking with Smith’s philosophy to see everyone in the squad take the field this series, a different XV will line-up in their last game in Whangārei this Saturday, against the United States (who beat Australia, 16-14, yesterday). It will help the Black Ferns coaching team come closer to finding their best squad to defend the World Cup in October.
The connections are growing with each game and training, Demant reassures.
“You guys are only seeing 80 minutes of it, but those connections are coming every day when we step out on the training field as well,” she says. “There’s a lot of work the coaches and players are putting into, not only the game plan, but our whanaungatanga [a sense of family connection]. And there are so many benefits of that, and this is one of them.”
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ANZ PREMIERSHIP GRAND FINAL: PULSE 56, STARS 37.
The Central Pulse turned out with the youngest team in the ANZ Premiership this season, with an average age of 22.
After finishing fifth in netball's elite league in 2021, few predicted them to flourish this year with such a young team; their oldest player – Kristiana Manu’a - just 26 years old.
But it turned out to be a dominant performance from the Pulse, both on Sunday and throughout the season. They‘d won 10 of their 15 games in the regular season, with four of their five losses being five goals or less. And their 19-goal trouncing of the Stars was the biggest grand final winning margin in the history of the national league.
Vital midcourter Maddy Gordon played her 50th ANZ Premiership game on Sunday, aged just 22. She was elated at the win, speaking to LockerRoom after the final whistle.
“It could have really gone either way, so I’m so stoked the girls could pull through,” she said.
Gordon, who returned from a knee injury part way through the season, believes the youth of the Pulse was key in their success. “We’ve had such a good vibe in the team; we really wanted to go out there and play for each other,” she says.
Among the young guns who played their role in the Pulse’s success this season were 20-year-olds Tiana Metuarau – their co-captain - and Paris Lokotui, who had her season cruelly cut short by an ACL injury. Parris Mason (19) and Amelia Walmsley (18), who both came off the bench yesterday, were also crucial in Central Manawa’s victory in the second-tier National Netball League this year.
The Pulse’s latest title makes them the most successful ANZ Premiership team, winning the final in 2019 and 2020 as well.
Manu’a put her side’s final success down to the young side’s consistency.
"Before the game started we said ‘No matter the result, we want a consistent 60 minutes’, so that's what we did. And I’m absolutely elated with our performance tonight,” the crafty goal defence said.
It was a scrappy first five of those 60 minutes, but the Pulse were the first to settle and an explosive six-goal run at the end of the first quarter gave them a nine-goal lead.
Pulse goal shoot Aliyah Dunn didn’t miss with her first 14 attempts, with several tricky no-look assists from Metuarau helping them to a 15-6 lead.
Every time the momentum looked to swing the Stars’ way, a yellow dress would charge through, and the Pulse’s lead grew to 11 goals at half-time, 26-15. The damage had well and truly been done, and the Stars never made a dent in the home side’s lead.
With the win secured, Pulse coach Yvette McCausland-Durie introduced her bench players to the court in the final stanza, rewarding all of her 12-strong side with a grand final experience.
Gordon was full of praise for McCausland-Durie, who returned to the Pulse after a year away in 2021.
“She is honestly the best coach, knows how to bring a team together, and knows how to make them laugh,” Gordon said. “I’m really stoked that she came back and so excited that she’s back again next year.”
Manu’a, who returned from Australia to suit up for the Pulse this season, was grateful to McCausland-Durie, too. "She's been absolutely amazing to give me a chance to come over here to Wellington and play,” she says. “I'm so thankful."
With the Silver Ferns trialists announced on Wednesday, Pulse goal keep Kelly Jury would no doubt have caught the eye of coach Dame Noeline Taurua, sitting in the noisy, sold-out crowd.
The MVP of the match, Jury played all but three minutes and had eight gains, four intercepts and seven deflections. She limited the normally dominant Stars shooter Maia Wilson to just nine goals in the first half.
One of the standouts of the season, Jury (who's just 25 by the way) was almost speechless after the win. "All season we've been looking for that complete performance and what a day to bring it,” she said.
Despite being on the losing side, Stars goal defence Elle Temu still had a strong showing in her pursuit of the black dress, finishing the game with six gains and six deflections.
Emotion was visible on all of the Stars’ faces, but none more than Anna Harrison, who officially confirmed her netball retirement at 39.
Stars coach Kiri Wills was quick to reflect on the season as a whole. "We could quite well be at home watching this on TV, but we're here and we fought really hard to get here,” she said post-match.
“My team in time will be able to hold their heads high because they played some brilliant netball this year."
