The Black Ferns Sevens have made a winning start on their long-awaited return to action.
A first-half double to Michaela Blyde eased the New Zealand women’s side to a 19-0 win over Australia at Auckland’s Orakei Domain on Friday, in the first of six clashes over three days against their trans-Tasman rivals, in some crucial preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.
Some 474 days since their last match – at the Sydney round of the Covid-19-cancelled 2019-20 World Series – the delight in being back in match-mode was obvious before kickoff, with the home side – spurred on by local school students at the Grammar TEC club wearing broad smiles and showing off some dance moves as they waited to run onto the park.
And those smiles were still out in force come fulltime, following a commanding first-up performance, against an Australian side who of course beat New Zealand in the gold medal match at the 2016 Games in Rio.
Despite Tyla Nathan-Wong making a hash of the kickoff, it eventually bounced past the 10-metre mark, and the hosts swarmed up their defensive line, with Blyde putting on a huge tackle to help her side regain possession, then be the one to score, inside the first minute.
Absolutely dominating possession and territory, the Black Ferns Sevens produced some fine work at the breakdown and then with a full width of the field spread, sent Blyde over in the left corner for her second in the final minute of the first half.
Behind 12-0 at the break, the Aussies didn’t get into New Zealand’s half until a few minutes into the second stanza.
