Black Ferns v France: Live updates from the first test in Hamilton

Follow the action as the Black Ferns host France in Hamilton. Match previewPreparing for the Black Ferns’ busy end-of-year run, coach Whitney Hansen had plans in place around how her group wanted to approach things. Among those was taking the opportunity to give young first five-eighths Hannah King a run in the No 10 jersey early in their eight-test run. Those plans were derailed, however, after King was injured while playing for Matatū in Super Rugby Aupiki and missed the end of the season. Instead, King took the reins in the most anticipated stretch of the season after co-captain Ruahei Demant suffered a calf injury and was unavailable for tests against France, Scotland and England. Demant returns for the Black Ferns in Hamilton this weekend in the first of three tests against France, however, King retains the No 10 jersey with Demant providing cover at 10 and 12 off the bench. “It’s sort of funny how things work out, isn’t it?” Hansen said. “As I think the injury off the back of Super, originally it was pretty disappointing because the original plan was we’d give her some game time early and she might not get as much in the back end in that space when you plan for what the tour looks like, and that totally reversed itself. “So, she has grown from strength to strength and [I’m] just incredibly proud of her growth in that space, not just as a rugby player, but I think a decision-maker and a leader. It’s been a real silver lining to the injury that Lou [Demant] had.” Saturday afternoon’s test against France will be King’s 19th for the Black Ferns since making her debut against the United States in 2024. It will be her fifth starting in a row, after also running out at first five in the test against South Africa in Soweto in early September. Hansen selected a largely settled squad for the test against France, with the rest of the series to play out in Whangārei and Christchurch over the next two weeks. There were only a few changes to the run-on side, with Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu and Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a starting at lock and right wing respectively, as Laura Bayfield and Mererangi Paul move back to the bench. Hooker Vici-Rose Green, loosehead prop Ngano Tavake and Demant also join the bench in place of Atlanta Lolohea, Maddison Robinson and Justine McGregor. The Black Ferns enter their final three tests of the year looking to take a step forward from the positives they achieved in Europe. Since Hansen took charge at the beginning of the year, the Black Ferns hold a 7-1 record, with their lone loss being a 26-19 defeat to England at Twickenham in a test they lost in the final play of the game. “The Northern Tour in general was a really great measuring stick and what will be really important is we don’t just look at that and go, oh, we were good enough but we want to be great and we weren’t enough in that game and there’s things that we can still be better on,” Hansen said. “We saw some things we were incredibly proud of and super excited by, but there’s lots that we still need to work on in our game. So, I think it’s about taking those learnings and then going, how do we be really clinical in the next three games that we get? “What an opportunity that we get that off the back of what we’ve already had this year, which was exciting again, and put that stuff into practice.” Black Ferns squad to play France in HamiltonBlack Ferns: 1. Chryss Viliko, 2. Georgia Ponsonby (cc), 3. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, 4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos, 5. Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu, 6. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u, 7. Elinor-Plum King, 8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker, 9. Maia Joseph, 10. Hannah King, 11. Ayesha Leti-I’iga, 12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt, 13. Amy Du Plessis, 14. Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a, 15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee.Bench: 16. Vici-Rose Green, 17. Ngano Tavake, 18. Santo Taumata, 19. Laura Bayfield, 20. Layla Sae, 21. Tara Turner, 22. Ruahei Demant (cc), 23. Mererangi Paul.Unavailable: Mia Anderson (concussion, calf)Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.