Allan Bunting: Black Ferns Coach unpacks the semifinal loss to Canada

Heartbreak for the Black Ferns in their Rugby World Cup semi-final with Canada in Bristol. 

The defending champions have been outplayed 34-19, after trailing 24-7 at the break. 

Their defeat has been chalked up to poor discipline, the team unable to win a penalty of their own until the 61st minute. 

Coach Allan Bunting told Piney they can’t fault the players, who kept trying and certainly didn’t give in.  

“Once we got down on the half and got our game going, we were pretty hard to stop, but in the start we didn’t get down there enough.” 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
The Black Ferns beaten by Canada in their Rugby World
Cup semi final in Bristol this morning. Puts it on
the toe this time Perry Tessier underneath it.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
One had to wait and leave it did locker click
and go here.

Speaker 2 (00:24):
Corrigan Canada pressing looking for that points PTI stuck?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Is that playing from Canada?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
And it's just Inertia who gets the first try of
the semifinal. That was the first of Canada's five tries,
four of them in the first half. They ran out
thirty four to nineteen winners over New Zealand in Bristol
this morning. Black Ferns head coach is Alan Bunting, who
joins us now, Allen, WA's your overall assessment, first of all,
of how the semi final played out.

Speaker 4 (00:55):
You're obviously congratulations to Kevin and the Canadian woman and
SOFIEO really actorate today and I wish him more the
best of the final. But yeah, obviously you really got it.
You get the three old ladies, and obviously our coaching
and minister stuff. There's a lot of work gone on,
and I had a lot of family over here, and

(01:15):
I know there's going to be a pretty disappointed country
big there. So he obviously cut it first, but you
get away accurate today and if he was going to
play and made too many years and then gave way
too many penalties and got too far on the back foot,
but just you can't sort of fold our ladies. They

(01:37):
keep trying and the effort and intent out there to
go all the way, and you can try and call
back and the certainly couldn't give them.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Could you have done anything differently or better?

Speaker 4 (01:50):
Oh, we don't. Obviously don't try and make them many
years and we try and play our game. But obviously
we got caught probably playing quite a bit in our
own half, and you didn't to sort of exit out
that how we'd like to made. Obviously made too many years,
and obviously they were pretty actuate once they've got the
ball down and now on half.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Were the erarors a result of the of the scoreboard
pressure and the on field pressure that they put on
you or or were they just hear us?

Speaker 4 (02:21):
Oh jeez, I don't know. Obviously trying the abase they
and trying to play our game once. You know, once
we got down on the half and got our game going,
we were pretty hard to stop. But we do stuff.
We didn't get down there enough. And yeah, other ladies
intent and beneffort to try and get going, but obviously
yeahs don't know what.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, did Canada's fast paced game, particularly at the start,
catch you on the hop a little.

Speaker 4 (02:46):
Bit, you will say, keep going there? Pretty hard to stop,
aren't they? And once we got going, we were pretty
hard to stop. But they obviously hit the ball for
a bit longer than us in our in half and
obviously chance with the end the points.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Did you suffer at all from a lack of really
competitive games before the semi final?

Speaker 4 (03:07):
No, all that was help playing from the start and
using rugby is doing a real good job to give
us as many games as we can. And you know,
we felt like we had enough prepression going. Mean, yeah,
obviously it wasn't our day today.

Speaker 2 (03:21):
I mean at the tournaments, you know, you weren't really tested,
were you, apart from maybe a half again South Africa.
I know that's not your fault, but what was that
was that a factor at all?

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (03:33):
Probably South Africa you know obviously tested us sort of
peace wise, but you know, you might be right there.
We pro Evelyn get tested across the board Canada or
pretty solid across the board and I'm here, but I'd
like you can't fault you, our ladies.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
If it today the playoff for third and fourth now
a game no one really wants to end up and
having made it to the semis, how will you reinvigorate
the group ahead of that game?

Speaker 4 (03:57):
The Scoop's pretty tightly connected the Lord of Love in
this group, and that would be pretty tough if we
didn't have another game to be a nice you know,
we know it's a beauty of sport. Can break your
heart some times, but we get an you know at
the nmaker, your family and your country proud and play
another game.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Have you given any thought as to how you approach
that selection? Wise?

Speaker 2 (04:16):
There are players here who may well be playing their
last game for the Black Ferns.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
Will you take that into account?

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Will you give other players who haven't had the opportunity
and opportunity?

Speaker 3 (04:25):
How will you approach it?

Speaker 4 (04:27):
Yeah? Over the Dale, we will definitely have a good look
at that. We you know, we've just been focused on
this week that we stayed in our week, so you
would have looked at the next couple of days.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
Tough luck. Ellen, thanks for joining us this afternoon.

Speaker 4 (04:39):
Ye als, thanks Jason, Thank you Ellen.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Ellen Bunting, their head coach of the Black Ferns, understandably
downcast there searching for some answers.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
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