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Only way is up after Churchill Cup defeat

by Dave Barton


	Geoff Richards,

19 June 2004
England Women 0 New Zealand Black Ferns 38

GEOFF RICHARDS admitted “there’s only one way to go” after the Black Ferns took England’s Churchill Cup crown with a six-try hammering in Edmonton this afternoon.

The Ferns outmuscled and outplayed England at the Commonwealth Stadium to confirm their status as the World’s No 1 team and leave Richards’ squad devastated.

With their Six Nations crown snatched by France and now the inaugural Churchill Cup victory in Vancouver 12 months ago a distant memory, Richards admits he has some thinking to do.

“I thought it would be closer but unfortunately some of our players didn’t front up,” said Richards after the worst defeat of his four-year tenure. “The Black Ferns were excellent and we were beaten by a better side. They are streetwise and their set piece was much better. We didn’t have a platform to work from.”

England lost 19-9 to the Black Ferns in the 2002 World Cup final and halfway towards the 2006 competition, the gap seems wider than ever.

However, Richards said: “I’d rather get flogged here than in two years’ time – there is only one way to go. Next year’s Six Nations is a long way off. We have a summer off and some of our players are coming off a long hard season.”

England were in the game for the first 10 minutes but then their scrum came under pressure and their line-out spluttered.

Black Ferns full-back Stacey Lene opened the scoring when Claire Richardson put her over and Hannah Myers – acknowledged as the best goal-kicker in the world – landed the conversion.

By the half-hour the centre had added the extras to Regina Sheck’s try after the loose-head prop had bulldozed her way over.

Stephanie Mortimer wrapped up the first-half scoring when she went round Sue Day to touch down and predictably Myers, who played several games at Clifton earlier this season, converted.

Lene started the second half as she finished the first – on the scoresheet – and when Karen Andrew hauled her down as she chased a ball to the line, referee Kevin McCaslin awarded the penalty try.

The final try was the pick of the scores, the Ferns running the ball back from a Shelley Rae clearance and Mortimer linking with Myers and prop Casey Roberson to send replacement Melissa Ruscoe over.

England Women: Sue Day; Nicky Crawford, Nicki Jupp, Assunta De Biase (Shelley Rae 79), Emily Cooke; Karen Andrew; Jo Yapp; Sharon Whitehead (Vanessa Huxford 72), Selena Rudge (Amy Garnett 80), Maxine Edwards (capt), Jenny Sutton, Jenny Lyne (Rachel Vickers ht), Shannon Baker, Helen Clayton (Karen Jones 79), Georgia Stevens. Reps not used: Susie Appleby, Kim Shaylor.

New Zealand Black Ferns: Stacey Lene (Canterbury); Claire Richardson (Otago), Hannah Myers (Auckland), Exia Shelford (Bay of Plenty), Stephanie Mortimer (Canterbury); Anna Richards (Auckland), Emma Jensen (Waikato); Regina Sheck (Waikato), Farah Palmer (Manawatu, captain), Casey Robertson (Canterbury), Monalisa Codling (Auckland), Victoria Heighway (Auckland), Cheryl Waaka (Auckland), Adrianne Lilii (Auckland), Rochelle Martin (Auckland). Reps used: Lauren Engebretsen (Waikato), Melissa Ruscoe (Canterbury), Aroha Moore (Auckland), Vaniya Lavea (Auckland).

Scorers: Tries – Lene (2), Mortimer, Sheck, Ruscoe, pen try; Cons – Myers (4).

Referee: Kevin McCaslin (USA)