New Zealand women's national rugby union team

Not to be confused with New Zealand women's national rugby sevens team, New Zealand women's national rugby league team, or New Zealand national rugby union team.

New Zealand
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameBlack Ferns
EmblemSilver-fern frond
UnionNew Zealand Rugby
Head coachAllan Bunting
Captain(Ruahei Demant),(Kennedy Simon)
Most capsKendra Cocksedge (68)
Top scorerKendra Cocksedge (404)
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current3 (as of 30 September 2024)
Highest1 (2003–2012, 2013–2020)
Lowest3 (2024)
First international
 New Zealand 56–0 Netherlands 
(Christchurch, New Zealand; 26 August 1990)
Biggest win
 Germany 6–134 New Zealand 
(Amsterdam, Netherlands; 2 May 1998)
Biggest defeat
 England 56–15 New Zealand 
(Northampton, England; 7 November 2021)
World Cup
Appearances8 (First in 1991)
Best resultChampions (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2021)
Websiteallblacks.com
Women's
World Rugby Rankings
Top 20 rankings as of 30 September 2024[1]
Rank Change* Team Points
1 Steady  England 096.90
2 Increase1  Canada 089.90
3 Decrease1  New Zealand 087.32
4 Steady  France 086.50
5 Steady  Scotland 077.92
6 Increase1  Ireland 077.25
7 Decrease1  Australia 076.67
8 Steady  United States 074.97
9 Increase1  Italy 073.21
10 Decrease1  Wales 073.09
11 Increase1  South Africa 067.07
12 Decrease1  Japan 066.89
13 Steady  Spain 064.10
14 Increase1  Fiji 061.54
15 Decrease1  Russia 061.10
16 Steady  Netherlands 059.76
17 Increase1  Samoa 058.62
18 Decrease1  Hong Kong 057.49
19 Steady  Kazakhstan 055.23
20 Steady  Sweden 052.72
*Change from the previous week

The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns (Māori: Rarauhe Pango),[2][3] represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport.[4] The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tournaments.

They have an 82 percent winning record in Test Match rugby, (updated 29 September 2024). Since their official international debut in 1990, the Black Ferns have lost to only five of the sixteen nations they have played against — Canada, England, France, Ireland and the United States. The team performs a haka before every match; this is a Māori challenge or posture dance. Traditionally the Black Ferns use the haka Ko Uhia Mai.

  1. ^ "Women's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  2. ^ https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/39666/black-ferns-haka [bare URL]
  3. ^ https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/39665/black-ferns-versus-samoa [bare URL]
  4. ^ "Sport, Fitness and Leisure". New Zealand Official Yearbook. Statistics New Zealand. 2000. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2008. Traditionally New Zealanders have excelled in rugby union, which is regarded as the national sport, and track and field athletics.