The All Blacks are seen as all-conquering, yet New Zealand’s women sevens team are arguably even more dominant than their male counterparts.
The Black Ferns come into the opening round of the 2017/18 HSBC Women’s World Rugby Sevens Series as defending champions, having won it for a fifth successive time last year. It gives Allan Bunting’s side a monopoly, with the women’s series having only made its debut in the 2012/13 season.
Their stranglehold on success elsewhere hasn’t been quite as vice-like. The Ferns lost 15-10 to Australia in the inaugural final of the Rugby World Cup Sevens women’s tournament, in Dubai in 2009, although they claimed the second title in Russia in 2013, beating Canada 29-12.
They were also beaten by old foes the Aussies in the Olympic Games final in Rio last year.
On the sevens circuit though they are peerless. Yet, despite claiming five of the six tournament wins last season and finishing 16 points ahead of fierce rivals Australia, the scary thing for New Zealand’s opponents is Bunting believes they can only get better.
“We certainly feel after our review last year that we were running at about 75 per cent of our potential, so there’s some huge amount of space for some gains and growth, so we’re focused on that,” said the man who took over the side a year ago, just a few weeks before the season opener in Dubai.
“We’re focused on doing things quicker and with a bit more intensity. There’s still a lot of growth left in our group.”
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Asked if he was sounding out a warning to the rest of the field, he added: “It’s not really a warning, we just feel like we can still grow a heck of a lot. The management group too. So if we get better together we know we’ll be able to reach our potential.”
Bunting, who is a man with huge respect among sevens players, was urged to apply by a few members of the national team and replace former coach Sean Horan.
Despite the upheaval, there was no backwards step, as last year’s dominant World Series campaign confirmed. As the rise of the Black Ferns continues, they have overtaken the men’s team as the standard bearers of New Zealand sevens rugby.
But with a bigger target on their backs perhaps more than ever before, Bunting says his team feel under no pressure heading into Dubai.
“We’re totally focused on what our strengths are and areas we need to work on,” said Bunting.
“Our men’s group have a new management team and they’re a bunch of guys who will get more consistent as they’ve gone full time, so they’ll get a lot out of that. And they’ve got a lot of room for growth which will come in the next year or so.
WATCH 🎥 “We’ve got some real competition in our squad” – #BlackFerns7s coach Allan Bunting.
FULL TEAM: https://t.co/hhaEYw9vVw#dubai7s pic.twitter.com/rd3moAFYHb
— Black Ferns (@BlackFerns) November 28, 2017
“We train close together and connect with the management groups and share ideas, so it’s a pretty good group, we’re all as one New Zealand Sevens.”
The rivalry with Australia has rocketed up a notch with both teams dominating the early era of women’s sevens rugby. And he sees last year’s runners-up as their main threat once again.
“Australia, they’re always a threat,” said Bunting.
“They’re a great side and one of the most consistent in the world so they’re definitely a threat. But every team is. We’re focused now on South Africa, France and the USA. The US beat us last year so we’re not looking past our first game. Then we go to the next one.”
