A new test for April

I wanted dates for April and now we have one. The Black Ferns have confirmed a special ANZAC Day test against the Wallaroos to be played in Queensland. The game ticks three boxes; the first Laurie O'Reilly test of the two match series, a confirmed Pacific Four fixture and a history maker to boot.

ANZAC Day has been floated forever as the ideal sporting date with our trans Tasman rivals. It was as recently as last year that Rugby Australia made a play to lock in a Bledisloe Cup match for the 25 April. New Zealand Rugby vetoed the idea, primarily due to it's clash with the men's Super Rugby competition. The Aussies weren't happy at the time but women's rugby fans are now that we get to see this opportunity realised.

It's the type of thing I'd love to see our sport do more often. Embrace the women's game as a breeding ground for new ideas. We are the smaller and more nimble asset. The moves we make have less risk attached. So if you think it's a good idea and you're having trouble getting the traditionalists on board, why not allow us to make the case?

It's no secret that Rugby Australia needs the game to grow. They've got the looming specter of the next Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029 hanging over them. Seeding something like this, with a ready-made story line built in, is a great way to open up the market. The only issue of course is that the Wallaroos have still never beaten the Black Ferns in their 32 year history. Worst still, Rugby Australia hasn't been making any meaningful moves to remedy that fact.

I've been watching the Aussies carefully since the last World Cup. When the news about cuts to programming came, I wrote about it. My central concern was captured in this graphic.

From my last count there's been about a 25% churn on the Wallaroos World Cup squad in terms of contracts for the upcoming year. They've signed 19 players who didn't attend the World Cup so are bringing in new faces but do they really need to cycle through yet another 9/10 combo? Layne Morgan dominated minutes for them in 2025 at halfback but code skipped to the Parramatta Eels this year so their choice is being made for them.

We are also waiting to have confirmation of a permanent coaching set up with an interim team signed through to the end of Pacific Four aka after this ANZAC test. Sam Needs is their current head coach and look, I bought his book on scrumming and found it useful but he doesn't have a wealth of international experience. Having a lack of surety on the future of the coaching set up is more of a worry than his CV though.

You might be wondering why I'm even bothering writing this much about Australian Rugby, but reality is - where else will you read it? If coverage of our game is bad, theirs is even worse.

But our future depends on theirs. The pathway for our growth is through Australia. We will never expand Super Rugby without them. As long as these international results continue to be lopsided we will see this merger delayed. They host the next women's World Cup. The one that proves whether England was the anomaly or whether full stadiums are our new normal. Australia's success has never mattered more.

That means this new ANZAC test does to.

With all this in mind, I've been thinking about the conversation we had with Wallaroo #186, Sera Naiqama, on our podcast last year. Most of this conversation was focused on Super Rugby but I want to highlight this nugget from her:

"What a pity if we get to 2029 and we haven't done our due diligence, we have empty stadiums when we're hosting an iconic global event."

"The marketing of that needs to start now and I hope that in years to come, by the time that 29 happens, we're not talking about what the Matildas did here, we're talking about the example of the Wallaroos and how they harnessed a home nation."

"It's such a blessing that we get the 2027 World Cup, because it's the one time that we get the whole nation's attention, the whole world's attention, and also point them towards 29 which is only two years after."

"It is such a rarity for a country to host two World Cups of the same code within two years of each other. 27 needs to be a key piece in marketing and pulling in the crowds and raising the awareness and the consciousness of the Australian and the global public to 29 once we host our Home World Cup."

Rugby Australia have used the Wallaroos to get the ANZAC test off New Zealand Rugby, what they really want is a Bledisloe Cup match on the same date. If they understand how to use their women to benefit their men, let the lesson here be that it works in reverse. Use the men to help the women and grow into the powerhouse they should be.

With you,
Alice

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