'Not everyone can play all games': Why Black Ferns shuffled the deck for second French test

As the Black Ferns head into their penultimate test of the year, coach Whitney Hansen has opted to keep things fresh with her squad selections.

Off the back of an 81-12 win over France in Hamilton, the New Zealand side will have five personnel changes to the starting lineup for the second of three tests between the nations in Whangārei on Saturday afternoon.

The changes come across the field as selectors continue to balance consistency with game time in the Black Ferns’ 150th test.

In the forwards, Laura Bayfield starts at lock alongside Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu, with Maiakawanakaulani Roos moving to the bench, while loose forward Elinor-Plum King is out of the matchday squad as Layla Sae gets the start at openside flanker, after King started the last six tests in the No 7 jersey.

“She’s been phenomenal for us,” Hansen said of the Black Ferns’ rookie flanker.

“We asked some things of her in Super [Rugby Aupiki] coming off the back of a non-selection in Pac4 in and around her physicality and what that was going to look like and for her to sort of prove herself in that Super space.

“She absolutely did that and everything we’ve asked of her since she has risen to. She’s so hardworking, she’s incredibly diligent, super humble, disappointed not to play because she’s also incredibly competitive, but understands we need everyone to be ready and this is an opportunity for Layla this week

“We won’t take two specialist sevens in the squad that we’ve got and picked for the weekend. Her mindset very much went to ‘what do I do to serve the team?’ and I know that she’ll be hissing out here at training this afternoon to make sure that the team is ready come Saturday.”

In the backline, Hansen has kept the same halfback-first five combinations, with Tara Turner and captain Ruahei Demant starting in the 9 and 10 jerseys, switching places with Maia Joseph and Hannah King, who will operate from the bench.

The only other change in the starting side sees Mererangi Paul start on the right wing, with Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a moving to the left and Ayesha Leti-I’iga out of the matchday squad.

“The conversations that I have with athletes who aren’t selected in the group that week are, the first thing they ask is any clarity questions or what that looks like,” Hansen said when asked about Leti-I’iga missing selection.

“We’re really clear to make performance conversations separate to selection, so she already knows what it is that she’s working on. But the next question everyone always goes to is ‘how do I support the team?’ That’s not something that we’ve had to push for or grow, that’s just naturally what it means to be a Black Fern.

“So I guess that her reaction was ‘how do I help serve the Fern?’ and part of that conversation, in terms of what she knows, it wasn’t a matter of being dropped or underperformance in that space. She’s been phenomenal for us in that tour. She was player of the day in our toughest match of the year this year, but what we know is we need everyone to be ready, so not everyone can play all games and this is one that she won’t be.”

On the bench, Atlanta Lolohea and Maddison Robinson join the squad as cover at hooker and loosehead prop respectively, while the versatile options of forward Amarante Sititi and back Justine McGregor also join the bench.

Loose forward Mia Anderson remains unavailable due to concussion.

“For us, it’s about being better again both individually and as a team. France are a quality side that we will never take lightly, and we’re expecting them to come out firing,” Hansen said.

“Our biggest pressure comes from within. It’s about how we prepare, how we train and how we perform on the field, rather than chasing outcomes. We’ll always remain humble and hungry in that pursuit, pushing ourselves and each other to be better every time we take the field.”

Black Ferns squad to play France in Whangārei

Semenoff Stadium. Saturday, October 24. 3.05pm kickoff.

Black Ferns: 1. Chryss Viliko, 2. Georgia Ponsonby, 3. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, 4. Laura Bayfield, 5. Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu, 6. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, 7. Layla Sae, 8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker, 9. Tara Turner, 10. Ruahei Demant (c), 11. Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a, 12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt, 13. Amy Du Plessis, 14. Mererangi Paul, 15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee.

Bench: 16. Atlanta Lolohea, 17. Maddison Robinson, 18. Santo Taumata, 19. Maiakawanakaulani Roos, 20. Amarante Sititi, 21. Maia Joseph, 22. Hannah King, 23. Justine McGregor.

Unavailable: Mia Anderson (concussion)