The Black Ferns are New Zealand's national women's rugby union team. Their international success has included winning six of seven 'Women's Rugby World Cup' tournaments held between 1998-2022. The Black Ferns also made rugby history by being the first women's team to win the international World Rugby Award (2017) for team of the year, beating out the All Blacks and England men's team. A series of capping ceremonies held throughout New Zealand during 2018 - 2019 have honoured former Black Ferns who played in test matches. 

TEAM'S NAME - BLACK FERNS

The team's name combines the colour black and the silver fern which are iconic NZ sporting symbols. The All Blacks are the national men's rugby team, the Black Caps the men's cricket team, the White Ferns the women's cricket team, and the Silver Ferns the women's netball team.  

INTERNATIONAL Awards 

Women's Rugby World Cup  

World Rugby Awards

For a list of names of winners for the annual World Rugby Awards, see: World Rugby: Awards Roll of Honour

World Rugby Awards 2022

Ruby Tui was named women's breakthrough 15s player of the year and the Black Fern's co-captain Ruahei Demant women's 15s player of the year, Tui, Demant, Theresa Fitzpatrick and Portia Woodman were named in the women's Dream Team. Wayne Smith received the award for coach of the year. Former Black Ferns and New Zealand Rugby board co-chair Dr Farah Palmer was awarded the Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service.

World Rugby Hall of Fame

For a list of inductees, see World Rugby- Hall of Fame

Rugby World magazine: Top ten most influential

NATIONAL ACCOLADES

Māori Sports Awards

For a list of recipients since 1991, see: Māori Sports Awards: Past

ASB New Zealand Rugby Awards

Capping ceremonies, 2018-2019

A series of capping ceremonies were held by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) to honour former Black Ferns who have played in test matches. These ceremonies commenced in 2018 with the 1998 squad and 1989 and 1990 players being capped at Eden Park (see Youtube video and photos on Getty images). During 2019, former players were capped in ceremonies held in Auckland  (31 players - see Getty images), Eketāhuna (1 player), and Christchurch (17 players - see list of recipients and Getty images.)  Also see the article about former Black Ferns captain Lenadeen Simpson reflecting on the capping ceremony and the Black Ferns: Gisborne Herald, Caps off to the women’s game, 25 May 2019)

The caps were styled on traditional rugby caps and featured the Black Ferns number, the silver fern and details of the person's Test debut. 

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JOURNEY OF BLACK FERNS ONTO INTERNATIONAL STAGE 

1989: Beginnings 

In 1989,  the NZRU ((New Zealand Rugby Union) encouraged women to play rugby and provided support to Provincial Unions and Clubs. That same year a national women's team, the New Zealand XV, was chosen by selectors appointed by the then-NZRFU (New Zealand Rugby Football Union).  

1990: WORLD RUGBY FESTIVAL FOR WOMEN 

 In August 1990 the World Rugby Festival for Women (RugbyFest 1990) was held over two weeks in Christchurch, New Zealand. The competition included teams representing the USA, Netherlands, Russia and NZ. The winners were NZ who defeated the United States in the final.  

1991 & 1994: WOMEN'S RUGBY WORLD CUP (IFWR) 

The first Women's Rugby World Cup was held in 1991 in Wales under the International Federation of Women's Rugby. Twelve countries including NZ were invited to participate and the Black Ferns played their first Test. The final was won by the United States with England (19-6) as the runner-up. The Black Ferns lost the semi-final to USA (0-7) and shared third place with France who lost its semi-final to England (0-13).  The Black Ferns did not compete in the Second Women's Rugby Women's Cup held in 1994. As the tournament did not receive the endorsement of the International Rugby Board, several countries, including NZ, chose not to pay team expenses.  In 2009, retrospective endorsement was given to both tournaments when the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) included the winning teams and runner-ups in its list of previous winners in a press release.  

1991 & 1996 & 2011: Black Ferns & the haka

On  6 April 1991, Debbie Chase led the team in a performance of the ‘Ka Mate’ haka during the opening match of the women's Rugby World Cup at Cardiff against Canada. This led to debate over the appropriateness of women to perform the haka.

Find out more: World rugby:  “Once you’re out there, you can’t take it back” – Debbie Chase on leading historic Haka

In 1996, when the Black Ferns were planning their international tour, "the captain, Lenadeen Simpson-Brown (of Ngāti Porou descent), sought permission from her elders to perform part of a haka pōwhiri (welcoming haka) titled Ka Panapana traditionally performed by women from her tribal area. In the Ngāti Porou iwi (tribe) there are more senior hapū (sub-tribes) named after women than men. Furthermore, some women in Ngāti Porou history were prominent leaders who fulfilled high status roles of Ariki34 and Kaumātua35 and took an active role in hapū and iwi politics. Performing the Ka Panapana haka from Ngāti Porou was seen as culturally appropriate for the Black Ferns to perform especially as the haka would be led by a Ngāti Porou descendent, and the essence of the haka aligned with the representation of the Black Ferns as powerful yet welcoming women." 

Source: Farah Palmer (2016),  "Stories of Haka and Women’s Rugby in Aotearoa New Zealand: Weaving Identities and Ideologies Together".  The International  Journal of the History of Sport. (Vol 33, Issue 17)

On 26 November 2011, the Black Ferns perform the haka 'Ko uhia mai' ( 'Let it be known') prior to their international match against England at Twickenham. The haka was composed for the team by Te Whetū Tipiwai.

Find out more:  Andrew Voerman (18 Sept 2022) . "An expression of who we are': What Ko Ūhia Mai, the Black Ferns' haka, means to them", Stuff.co.nz 

1998-2021: Women's Rugby World Cup (IRB)

The International Rugby Board (IRB) held the first Women's Rugby World Cup tournament n 1998.  The Black Ferns won the first four and the sixth and seventh Rugby World Cup.  During the fifth World Cup held in 2014, the Black Ferns came fifth and England beat Canada (21-9) in the final. For a summary of team and player statistics, see Rugby World Cup Women's.  

1998 Women's Rugby World Cup: Winner

See World rugby archival photos of Anna Richards in action against Scotland (76-0) and against England in the semi-final ( 44-7).

2002 Women's Rugby World Cup: Winner

See victorious team photo in Rugby World Cup Women's.

2006 Women's Rugby World Cup: Winner

 See victorious team photo in Rugby World Cup Women's. 

2010 Women's Rugby World Cup: Winner

See victorious team photo in Rugby World Cup Women's; photos of their homecoming to NZ on Getty Images, and the World rugby interview with captain Melissa Ruscoe.

2014 Women's Rugby World Cup: 5th Place

For a list of 2014 squad members see Allblacks.com

2017 Women's Rugby World Cup: Winner

For a list of 2017 squad members, see Wikipedia. The Black Ferns performed a haka on winning the World Cup for the fifth time.    

2021 Women's Rugby World Cup held in 2022: Winner

New Zealand hosted the 2021 women's Rugby World Cup from 8 October to 12 November 2022 after being postponed for one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  World Rugby announced in 2019 that the women's championship would be officially rebranded and marketed under the title 'Rugby World Cup', with no gender designation.   Source: Wikipedia: Rugby World Cup (women's) 

New Zealand became the first host nation to win a women’s Rugby World Cup as they beat England 34-31 at a sold-out Eden Park. 

Other international competitions

The Black Ferns also won the Canada Cup in 1996, 2000, and 2005, and the Churchill Cup in 2004.  For a list of international games and scores since 1990, see Wikipedia.  Lists of the 2014 - 2018 squads and individual player synopsis can be viewed on Allblacks.com  

Coaches

For an insight into coaching practices, see NZ Herald article on the Black Ferns' training programme with coach Daryl Suasua.  

CELEBRATED Captains & Team Members

Note: Dates and number of tests have been compiled from online sources, some of which have statistical variances on individual players, including when they retired.  Sources include: Allblacks.com and New Zealand Rugby History: Captains.  

Captaincy / Player's name / Dates played / No. of tests:

1991-1993: Helen Littleworth (played 1989-1996: 14 tests):

Littleworth joined the NZ women's rugby team in 1991 and played in the loose forward position. She captained the team from 1991-1993. Littleworth was awarded the University of Otago’s ‘Sportsperson of the Year’ in October 1995. 

1994-1996: Lenadeen Simpson (played 1994-1997: 8 tests):  

Simpson joined the NZ women's rugby team in 1991 and played her first match on 29 August 1994 against NSW, winning 85-0.  Her first test was on 2 September 1994 against Australia in Sydney, winning 37-0. Simpson captained the team from 1994-1996 and played in the second five-eighths position. In the 1996 match for the Canada Cup, the Black Ferns won all three games beating Canada (88-3), United States (86-8) and France (109-0). Simpson was one of the 17 former Black Ferns honoured during the Capping ceremony held in Christchurch on 18 May 2019. (See Getty images) 

1997-2005: Farah Palmer (played 1996-2006: 35 tests, 30 as captain): 

Palmer first played for NZ on 31 August 1996 against Australia in Sydney winning 28–5. Palmer became captain in 1997 until 2005 when she had a shoulder injury. She led the team to Rugby World Cup victory in 1998 and  2002. She was awarded  Women's Player of the Year by the NZ Rugby Union (1998) and Māori Sportsperson of the Year at the Māori Sports Awards (1998, 2006).  In 2005, Palmer was awarded International Women's (Rugby) Personality of the Year at the IRB Awards. For the 5th Women's Rugby World Cup held in Canada in 2006, Palmer again captained the Black Ferns to World Cup victory; then announced her retirement in September 2006.  In 2007 she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the New Year’s Honours for services to women’s rugby and sport. The Women's Provincial Championship (WPC) cup  was renamed the Farah Palmer Cup in 2016.   

2009: Victoria Heighway (played 1999-2010: 28 tests): 

Heighway joined the Black Ferns in 1999, played her first test match on 23 September 2000 against Canada at Winnepeg, and captained the team on its tour to England in 2009. She was awarded NZRU Women's Player of the Year in 2007 and 2009. Her retirement from the Black Ferns and plans to move to Australia were reported in Ingenio (Nov 2010). 

2006, 2010: Melissa Ruscoe (played, 2003-2010: 17 tests): 

Ruscoe joined the Black Ferns in 2003 and played on the teams that won the Churchill Cup (2004) and the Women's Rugby World Cup (2006).  She was also named the New Zealand women's player of the year in 2005. Ruscoe took over from Palmer as captain in 2006. She missed the 2009 tour to England due to injury, which was captained by Victoria Heighway. Ruscoe captained the Black Ferns to victory in the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup.  In the 2011 New Year Honours, Ruscoe was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to women's rugby.   

2010, 2011: Victoria Grant (nee Blackledge) (played 2006-2013: 14 tests): 

Grant first played for the Black Ferns in 2006. She was vice-captain for the 2010 World Cup and was named captain for the final pool match against Wales in London when captain Ruscoe was placed on the bench. Grant captained the team for the three-test series in England in 2011. After withdrawing from playing rugby due to a back injury, Grant has embarked on a coaching career.

2012-2017: Fiao’o Faamausil (Played 1999-2018: 57 tests): 

Faamausil played her first test for NZ in 1999 and captained the team from 2012 - 2017; then returned for the 2018 season. She received New Zealand Rugby women’s player of the year in 2011. Faamausil was made an Officer of NZ Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to rugby in 2018. She was honoured at the special capping ceremony held for 31 former players at Eden Park on 11 May 2019. Faamausil  received two caps - one for her debut and the other for playing 50 tests.

2019- Jan 2020, 2021: Les Elder (played 2015-2021: 13 Tests): 

Bay of Plenty flanker Elder first played for the Black Ferns in 2015 in the Women's Super Series in Canada. She was appointed as the new captain of the squad scheduled to play in the United States and Australia during 2019.  After taking time off in January 2020 to have a baby, Elder returned to the Black Ferns squad in 2021. 

Nov 2020: Eloise Blackwell (PLAYED 2011-2021: 43 TESTS):  

Blackwell joined the Black Ferns in 2011 and by Feb 2020 had played as lock in 43 tests, scoring 10 tries. It was announced in Nov 2020, that Blackwell was standing in as captain for the injured Les Elder and was vice-captain on Elder's return.

2022: Ruahei Demant (Played 2015 - to present)

On 4 May 2022, Auckland first five-eighth and Blues captain Ruahei Demant was named as captain of the Black Ferns for the Pacific Four Series to be held in NZ in June. Demant first played for the Black Ferns in 2018, following her younger sister Kiritapu, who joined the team in 2015.  She has played as a first five-eights, second five-eights and centre, and wore the No 10 jersey in all six Black Ferns Tests in 2019, scoring two tries against Australia in the Laurie O’Reilly Memorial Trophy series.  

2022: Co-Captains for World Cup: Ruahei Demant and Kennedy Simon

Kennedy Simon returned from injury to lead the Black Ferns for the first time for their Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Wales on 29 October 2022. 

Queen's / King's Birthday Honours

Funding

The NZRU started funding the Black Ferns in 1995.  In 2018, after the success of New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team, all Sevens and Black Ferns players were offered semi-professional contracts. In January 2022, it was announced that progress towards full-time contracts for the Black Ferns would be made that year.

Commentary on women's rugby

Further information:

Websites:

All Blacks: https://www.allblacks.com/teams/black-ferns/

Black Ferns Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackFerns/  

Community rugby:  http://www.communityrugby.co.nz/women-s-rugby/history 

Rugby World Cup Women's:  https://www.rwcwomens.com/ 

Books:

Johnson, Tom. Legends in Black (Penguin, 2014) - Chapter 16: Winning Black Ferns / Dr Farah Palmer

(This DigitalNZ story was created in 2019 and updated in Nov 2023)