Black Ferns Sevens named for inaugural home appearance

Jan 23 • General News, Sevens Rugby • 1101 Views • Comments Off on Black Ferns Sevens named for inaugural home appearance

The Black Ferns Sevens will take the field in New Zealand for the first time this weekend and Coach Allan Bunting has named a strong team for the invitational Fast Four tournament.

Veteran midfielder Niall Williams returns from injury while Manawatu’s Rhiarna Ferris is set to make her debut. Kelly Brazier joins Portia Woodman on the side lines, a calf injury ruling her out of the first tournament of the year.

The team is;

Shakira Baker	Waikato
Michaela Blyde	Bay of Plenty
Gayle Broughton	Taranaki
Rhiarna Ferris	Manawatu
Theresa Fitzpatrick	Auckland
Sarah Hirini (captain)	Manawatu
Tyla Nathan-Wong	Auckland
Alena Saili	Southland
Terina Te Tamaki	Waikato
Ruby Tui	Bay of Plenty
Stacey Waaka	Waikato
Katarina Whata-Simpkins	Wellington
Niall Williams	Auckland

The Black Ferns Sevens will come up against China, England and France in the Fast Four tournament, played alongside the HSBC New Zealand Sevens in Hamilton.

“We have seen in the way the team has been training that they can’t wait to play in Hamilton. There has been a real edge in how the players have been going about their preparation, so we are looking forward to this weekend,” said Bunting.

Manawatu’s Rhiarna Ferris is in line to run out in the black jersey for the first time, having been in the Black Ferns Sevens squad for just over a year.

“Rhiarna has been knocking on the door for a while now. She is back from injury and we’ve seen what a hard worker she is, bringing her into the team for this tournament is another chance for us to build depth,” said Bunting.

For Shakira Baker, Stacey Waaka and Terina Te Tamaki it is a chance to play in front of a home crowd, the three players all representing Waikato at provincial level.