Classy second half gives Black Ferns big win over Black Ferns XV

Black Ferns v Black Ferns XV The scores Black Ferns 62 Elinor-Plum King 3, Ayesha Leti-I’iga 2, Mererangi Paul, Maia Joseph, Tara Turner, Vici-Rose Green, Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a, tries; Braxton Sorensen-McGee 4 con, Maia Davis 2 con Black Ferns XV 19 Presayus Singh, Leata Puni-Lio, Sam Taylor tries; Arene Landon-Lane 2 con Halftime: Black Ferns 26-14 A King fit to be Queen. Matatū flanker Elinor-Plum King was mighty impressive in her Black Ferns debut, scoring a hat-trick in the Black Ferns 62-19 win against the Black Ferns XV in Upper Hutt on Friday. It was a crucial game for the national side as they build towards a big end-of-year-tour. Mererangi Paul scored in the corner to give the Black Ferns the first lead. Otago’s Sarah Jones bowled over a couple of Black Ferns with some strong carriers early. The XV controlled the ball for long passages and put the pressure on the Black Ferns’ defence. Arene Landon-Lane popped the ball for Presayus Singh to step through and score. The Black Ferns XV insisted on chip kicks to exit, but the Black Ferns shut it down. They worked it around but a stunning inside ball from Tara Turner put explosive winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga through the middle to finish. Wikitoria Viljoen showed her speed down the edge for the Black Ferns XV. They won a penalty inside the 22m, and edged closer until Leata Puni-Lio went over. The Black Ferns were starved of ball, but showed their class when they got in the right area. Flanker Mia Anderson broke through, popped the pass up to Turner for King to score. Ruahei Demant nailed a 50-22, but the Black Ferns squandered their line out opportunity. Eventually Demant threw a lofty ball wide for Leti-I’iga to score her second. It gave the Black Ferns a 26-14 lead at halftime. The Black Ferns kept the ball in hand with some nice link-up play for King to finish. Maia Joseph scored next for the Black Ferns to extend their lead 38-14. Both teams rolled a swag of substitutes to test their combinations. But the Black Ferns opened up after a relatively quiet first half by their standards. King scored her third and Turner and Vici-Rose Green added their own push the Black Ferns out 57-14. When the XV finally got some ball, Sam Taylor made sure of it late. Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a scored on debut to finish for the Black Ferns.