Heartbreak for the Black Ferns as their reign as world champions comes to an end.
They've been beaten 34-19 by Canada in their semi-final in Bristol – Canada surging to a 24-7 advantage at half-time with four first half tries.
It's the first time New Zealand have been beaten in a knockout game since 1991.
D’Arcy spoke with NZ Herald’s Alice Soper live from the ground in the aftermath of the loss, to get her reaction to how it all played out.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News talks'b.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The ferns have gone down in a hebe Alice, I'd
rather be celebrating with you, but we can't. Welcome to
the program. Look, after that first half twenty four zip
really really hard to get back here.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Look, I think that was probably the story of the game, right,
too long to get into it, too long to adjust
once we started going up the middle.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
You know, we weren't getting purchase on the edge.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Once we changed to that, Once we made a couple
of substitutions, we could come back into that game.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
But too slow, too slow to make.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
The adjustments as needed, and in the end, Canada too strong.
They only had one mission and that was to win
this World Cup, and they've just taken another step closer
to that.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
They have. Renee Holmes didn't exactly. I don't want to
isolate individuals, but she had a pretty sloppy start to
the game, and I think also ill directed kicks right
across the board. They didn't help themselves in that space,
did they, Alas.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
I mean, look, it's obviously we were waiting for the
style of play that we had been told, you know,
we had never seen before. But if it was those kicks,
I think we could have left without seeing it. But
these days, you know, sometimes the ball bounces your way,
sometimes it doesn't. And today every bounce fifty to fifty
came up Canada's way. And fair play to them, you know,
(01:29):
they put themselves in every position to be ready to
play on. If you look at the lead into this, yeah, okay,
we can talk about terms of money, but the real
issue for the Black Ferns right now, it's not the
pay gap, it's the play gap. Canada seven tests ahead
of this World Cup. Meanwhile, the black Ferns are just
for You can't get away with talent anymore. You need
(01:49):
to program to match and we are sorely missing the
key pieces to give us that time on the grass
to you know, put it on where it counts.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
So why does that happen? We're New Zealand and Rugby
apparently at the top of the tree. They're funding, they're
all over it. But they've just they the ball.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Right, I mean, it does bigger belief. When we saw
the schedule that came out at.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
The beginning of this year, we were wondering where were
the rest of the tests?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
There was that massive gap from July twelfth, I think
it was to the beginning of the World Cup. And
when we asked the question who will be playing it
was each other. And you just can't get away with that.
You need to be playing other teams. I mean you
look at again, like I say, what Canada's plan were?
They set about to fundraise the money to send themselves
on that tour, and they did.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
They went the world over.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
They played South Africa, they played whoever they needed to
just to get that time together, get that continuity.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
You know, it takes time to get timing.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
And we saw that timing clicking for Canada on the
grass where I was was falling behind.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
How did you feel about the refereeing of the game?
I might be slightly drawn us or by us on
this one, but toward the start of that program, when
I was actually watching intently because for the second half
I was sitting here in this studio a little hard
to multitask. But the Canadians got away with a weabit,
didn't they.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Oh, I mean, look, that's that's also the rubber the
green right, Like some days things if the fifty fifty
calls go your way, sometimes they go the other. And
you know, if we're sitting there and complaining about a ref, well,
who are we the all Blacks?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
We're not going to take that lot?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Very magnanimous, have you? Ouris? I like the way you're saying,
I wann't want to complain because it wasn't the refereeing.
It was the all direct in kes. It was the
ill discipline. But at the start it becoming and you go, well,
but I mean that's rugby for you, isn't it. It's
how you you know, how you read the game and
what the referee season. You got to play with what
they see exactly.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I mean, you've got to adjust to a riff, just
like you've got to adjust to the weather, just like
you've got to adjust to.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
The crowd and everything else.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So you know, again, that's just the way that Canada
came out ready to do it and fear play to them.
Like I say, this is the best Canadian side we've
seen come together to ever challenge for a World Cup.
It's probably the best team they've ever had and they
are here to make a point. And that point is
the way we've been doing rugby worldwide for women isn't
necessarily it. You look at what they're doing with their resources.
(04:12):
They have less than other people. They are the only
team in the top five nations that don't have a
men's program to lean on and are building it on
their own. They don't have fully professional contracts, but what
they do have is the ingenuity and the understanding that
what matters most is game time. And you look at
whatever strategies we put together, that seems to be the
(04:33):
part of the piece that is always missing when it
comes to New Zealand Rugby's plan. So if we're wanting
to do better when it comes to this next World Cup,
yeah we need more international fixtures, but we need a
heck of a lot more domestic body too. Six games
a year of opake is not going to make World
Cup champions and we've just seen that on the paddock today.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
A rude poke in the eye for New Zealand rugby.
We talk about Georgia Miller not being there. You can't
pin your hopes of a success on one individual player,
especially as sevens players transferred over. But how much the
we miss it, do you think, Alice?
Speaker 4 (05:08):
I think particularly actually you know, sorry, excuse me, excuse
me obviously was cheering too loud at parts of that game.
I think particularly you know, we would think that it
was on attack, but I actually think we missed do
more on defense.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And the reason I say that.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Is particularly in the first twenty or so minutes we
were so narrow, But I think we got away with.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
That in other games because Georgia is quick.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Enough to hold in tight and push out when she
needs to, whereas with the personnel that we had on
the field, we were.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Just too slow in that transition.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
They were beating us with a couple of passes out
wide and then there was just so much clean air.
So I think it was that it was actually that
link in terms of defense that really killed us, where
she wasn't there to bring that extra line speed on
the edge.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
And the positive around this and a huge positive Canada
very much right up near the top of the world.
So complaints about the Women's Rugby World Cup and some
of the scores and how desperate they were, but it's
strengthening Canadians have turned up. It can only be good
for the game and.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Great for us in terms of our conference. I mean,
you look at the fact that originally Pacific four was
kind of a competition that was cobbled together out of
who was left. You know, we had six nations and
then they thought, oh, these players will round up together
and we'll put them into a competition. But now you
look at how those Pacific four teams traveled at this
World Cup and we did really well. You know, we
had obviously Australia that got knocked out in the quarters
(06:36):
last week, but you know New Zealand and Canada making
it into this knockout round. Pacific you know, Pacific four
rugby is very strong. Now it's just going to be
about how do we, you know, bridge that gap between
For me, it's really got to be taking a stern
eye to the domestic competition and like I say, six
weeks you know, six week competition of opa ke it's
(06:56):
a joke. If you look at what Canada does as well,
they don't have a domestic competition.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
They leverage other peoples. So over fifty.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Percent of that Canadian World Cup squiet squad currently plays
in the English PWR. The remainder has sprinkled across France's
domestic competition. All of this adds up to just so
much more rugby and at the end, of the day.
If you want to be good at rugby, play it.
It doesn't seem like it's a very difficult equation. But
apparently New Zealand rugby still hasn't got that message right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
And we're going to finish things off nice and sharpestly.
So plainly England's to lose now. But is it really
a lay down massire for them?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Absolutely not. I reckon like I say Canada.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
They stated their intention when they started their fundraiser when
they said they needed to raise a million dollars and
they have hit that target. They said they needed that
money to win a World Cup. They're not going to
go back with anything less. So if England thinks that
this is going to be a walk over next week,
they're in for a rude awakening. They might feel like
this is a repeat of twenty fourteen, because hey, it
(07:56):
was Canada that they played in that final the last
time they lifted the trophy. But this Canadian team is
quite a world away from the one that they have
played before, so good luck to them.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
They're going to need it.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Excellent And Alice Soper, thanks very much for being on
the ground and taking the phone call. Has been a
real pleasure to catch up with you during the tournament.
I can't cope with third v. Fourth playoff. This might
be the end of our relationship on air. Alice, thanks
for your time for talks.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk set Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News talks'b.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
The ferns have gone down in a hebe Alice, I'd
rather be celebrating with you, but we can't. Welcome to
the program. Look, after that first half twenty four zip
really really hard to get back here.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Look, I think that was probably the story of the game, right,
too long to get into it, too long to adjust
once we started going up the middle.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
You know, we weren't getting purchase on the edge.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Once we changed to that, Once we made a couple
of substitutions, we could come back into that game.
Speaker 3 (00:39):
But too slow, too slow to make.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
The adjustments as needed, and in the end, Canada too strong.
They only had one mission and that was to win
this World Cup, and they've just taken another step closer
to that.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
They have. Renee Holmes didn't exactly. I don't want to
isolate individuals, but she had a pretty sloppy start to
the game, and I think also ill directed kicks right
across the board. They didn't help themselves in that space,
did they, Alas.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
I mean, look, it's obviously we were waiting for the
style of play that we had been told, you know,
we had never seen before. But if it was those kicks,
I think we could have left without seeing it. But
these days, you know, sometimes the ball bounces your way,
sometimes it doesn't. And today every bounce fifty to fifty
came up Canada's way. And fair play to them, you know,
(01:29):
they put themselves in every position to be ready to
play on. If you look at the lead into this, yeah, okay,
we can talk about terms of money, but the real
issue for the Black Ferns right now, it's not the
pay gap, it's the play gap. Canada seven tests ahead
of this World Cup. Meanwhile, the black Ferns are just
for You can't get away with talent anymore. You need
(01:49):
to program to match and we are sorely missing the
key pieces to give us that time on the grass
to you know, put it on where it counts.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
So why does that happen? We're New Zealand and Rugby
apparently at the top of the tree. They're funding, they're
all over it. But they've just they the ball.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Right, I mean, it does bigger belief. When we saw
the schedule that came out at.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
The beginning of this year, we were wondering where were
the rest of the tests?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
There was that massive gap from July twelfth, I think
it was to the beginning of the World Cup. And
when we asked the question who will be playing it
was each other. And you just can't get away with that.
You need to be playing other teams. I mean you
look at again, like I say, what Canada's plan were?
They set about to fundraise the money to send themselves
on that tour, and they did.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
They went the world over.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
They played South Africa, they played whoever they needed to
just to get that time together, get that continuity.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
You know, it takes time to get timing.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
And we saw that timing clicking for Canada on the
grass where I was was falling behind.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
How did you feel about the refereeing of the game?
I might be slightly drawn us or by us on
this one, but toward the start of that program, when
I was actually watching intently because for the second half
I was sitting here in this studio a little hard
to multitask. But the Canadians got away with a weabit,
didn't they.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Oh, I mean, look, that's that's also the rubber the
green right, Like some days things if the fifty fifty
calls go your way, sometimes they go the other. And
you know, if we're sitting there and complaining about a ref, well,
who are we the all Blacks?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
We're not going to take that lot?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Very magnanimous, have you? Ouris? I like the way you're saying,
I wann't want to complain because it wasn't the refereeing.
It was the all direct in kes. It was the
ill discipline. But at the start it becoming and you go, well,
but I mean that's rugby for you, isn't it. It's
how you you know, how you read the game and
what the referee season. You got to play with what
they see exactly.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
I mean, you've got to adjust to a riff, just
like you've got to adjust to the weather, just like
you've got to adjust to.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
The crowd and everything else.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
So you know, again, that's just the way that Canada
came out ready to do it and fear play to them.
Like I say, this is the best Canadian side we've
seen come together to ever challenge for a World Cup.
It's probably the best team they've ever had and they
are here to make a point. And that point is
the way we've been doing rugby worldwide for women isn't
necessarily it. You look at what they're doing with their resources.
(04:12):
They have less than other people. They are the only
team in the top five nations that don't have a
men's program to lean on and are building it on
their own. They don't have fully professional contracts, but what
they do have is the ingenuity and the understanding that
what matters most is game time. And you look at
whatever strategies we put together, that seems to be the
(04:33):
part of the piece that is always missing when it
comes to New Zealand Rugby's plan. So if we're wanting
to do better when it comes to this next World Cup,
yeah we need more international fixtures, but we need a
heck of a lot more domestic body too. Six games
a year of opake is not going to make World
Cup champions and we've just seen that on the paddock today.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
A rude poke in the eye for New Zealand rugby.
We talk about Georgia Miller not being there. You can't
pin your hopes of a success on one individual player,
especially as sevens players transferred over. But how much the
we miss it, do you think, Alice?
Speaker 4 (05:08):
I think particularly actually you know, sorry, excuse me, excuse
me obviously was cheering too loud at parts of that game.
I think particularly you know, we would think that it
was on attack, but I actually think we missed do
more on defense.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
And the reason I say that.
Speaker 4 (05:22):
Is particularly in the first twenty or so minutes we
were so narrow, But I think we got away with.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
That in other games because Georgia is quick.
Speaker 4 (05:30):
Enough to hold in tight and push out when she
needs to, whereas with the personnel that we had on
the field, we were.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Just too slow in that transition.
Speaker 4 (05:38):
They were beating us with a couple of passes out
wide and then there was just so much clean air.
So I think it was that it was actually that
link in terms of defense that really killed us, where
she wasn't there to bring that extra line speed on
the edge.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
And the positive around this and a huge positive Canada
very much right up near the top of the world.
So complaints about the Women's Rugby World Cup and some
of the scores and how desperate they were, but it's
strengthening Canadians have turned up. It can only be good
for the game and.
Speaker 4 (06:14):
Great for us in terms of our conference. I mean,
you look at the fact that originally Pacific four was
kind of a competition that was cobbled together out of
who was left. You know, we had six nations and
then they thought, oh, these players will round up together
and we'll put them into a competition. But now you
look at how those Pacific four teams traveled at this
World Cup and we did really well. You know, we
had obviously Australia that got knocked out in the quarters
(06:36):
last week, but you know New Zealand and Canada making
it into this knockout round. Pacific you know, Pacific four
rugby is very strong. Now it's just going to be
about how do we, you know, bridge that gap between
For me, it's really got to be taking a stern
eye to the domestic competition and like I say, six
weeks you know, six week competition of opa ke it's
(06:56):
a joke. If you look at what Canada does as well,
they don't have a domestic competition.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
They leverage other peoples. So over fifty.
Speaker 4 (07:03):
Percent of that Canadian World Cup squiet squad currently plays
in the English PWR. The remainder has sprinkled across France's
domestic competition. All of this adds up to just so
much more rugby and at the end, of the day.
If you want to be good at rugby, play it.
It doesn't seem like it's a very difficult equation. But
apparently New Zealand rugby still hasn't got that message right.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
And we're going to finish things off nice and sharpestly.
So plainly England's to lose now. But is it really
a lay down massire for them?
Speaker 3 (07:33):
Absolutely not. I reckon like I say Canada.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
They stated their intention when they started their fundraiser when
they said they needed to raise a million dollars and
they have hit that target. They said they needed that
money to win a World Cup. They're not going to
go back with anything less. So if England thinks that
this is going to be a walk over next week,
they're in for a rude awakening. They might feel like
this is a repeat of twenty fourteen, because hey, it
(07:56):
was Canada that they played in that final the last
time they lifted the trophy. But this Canadian team is
quite a world away from the one that they have
played before, so good luck to them.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
They're going to need it.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Excellent And Alice Soper, thanks very much for being on
the ground and taking the phone call. Has been a
real pleasure to catch up with you during the tournament.
I can't cope with third v. Fourth playoff. This might
be the end of our relationship on air. Alice, thanks
for your time for talks.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk set Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.