Black Ferns name eight Auckland players in their 2020 Squad
The Black Ferns have named eight Auckland players in the 2020 squad. Saphire Abraham, Eloise Blackwell, Charmaine McMenamin, Charmaine Smith, Aleisha-Pearl Nelson, Ruahei Demant, Patricia Maliepo and Natahlia Moors will join the 31-strong squad in eight test matches in the 2020 with seven being on home soil.
On 18 July. Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr will host Black Ferns V USA, in a double header match that includes the All Blacks playing Scotland.
The O’Reilly Cup (formerly the Laurie O’Reilly Memorial Trophy) Tests will see the Black Ferns head to Marvel Stadium in Melbourne to play Australia on the 8th August with the following week both teams meeting again at Sky Stadium in Wellington (15 August). Both fixtures will be double headers with Bledisloe Tests following each game.
The 31-player Black Ferns squad includes five new players including Auckland’s Saphire Abraham and Patricia Maliepo receiving their first contracts for the Black Ferns. New Zealand Rugby’s Head of Women’s Rugby, Cate Sexton said the eight-match test schedule was unprecedented for Black Ferns fans in New Zealand and gave them a taste of what to expect from the Rugby World Cup in 2021.
Full 2020 Black Ferns Squad (* First-time contracts):
FORWARDS
Saphire Abraham* | Auckland |
Eloise Blackwell | Auckland |
Charmaine McMenamin | Auckland |
Charmaine Smith | Auckland |
Aleisha-Pearl Nelson | Auckland |
Luka Connor | Bay of Plenty |
Kelsie Wills* | Bay of Plenty |
Chelsea Bremner* | Canterbury |
Phillipa Love | Canterbury |
Leilani Perese | Counties Manukau |
Pia Tapsell | North Harbour |
Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate | Northland |
Toka Natua | Waikato |
Kennedy Simon | Waikato |
Marcelle Parkes | Wellington |
Jackie Patea-Fereti | Wellington |
BACKS
Ruahei Demant | Auckland |
Patricia Maliepo* | Auckland |
Natahlia Moors |
Auckland |
Renee Wickliffe | Bay of Plenty |
Grace Brooker | Canterbury |
Kendra Cocksedge | Canterbury |
Hazel Tubic | Counties Manukau |
Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu | Counties Manukau |
Langi Veainu* | Counties Manukau |
Selica Winiata | Manawatu |
Kilisitina Moata'ane | Otago |
Chelsea Alley | Waikato |
Carla Hohepa | Waikato |
Ayesha Leti-I'iga | Welington |
Monica Tagoai | Wellington |
2020 Black Ferns Test schedule (all kick-off times in NZT)
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Saturday, 18 July
V USA (Including All Blacks v Scotland)
Kick-off: 4.30pm (NZT)
O’Reilly Cup
Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Saturday, 8 August
V Australia (Including All Blacks v Australia)
Kick-off: 6.50pm (NZT)
Sky Stadium, Wellington
Saturday, 15 August
V Australia (Including All Blacks v Australia)
Kick-off: 4.30pm (NZT)
Article added: Thursday 12 March 2020