New Zealand Kiwi Ferns at the women’s rugby league world cup
Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2017 www.photosport.nz
In 2003, the most dominant performance in New Zealand sporting history took place.
Against the best sides in the world, the Kiwi Ferns crushed their competition in merciless style at the Rugby League World Cup.
The Ferns went on an absolute tear, conceding just four points in six games, and amassing 376.
They scored a staggering 76 tries to one, en route to a second World Cup title.
Starting with a 68-0 drubbing of the Cook Islands, their list of victims included Tokelau 84-0, Australia 44-4, Samoa 84-0, England 38-0 and finally the NZ Māori went down 58-0 in the final.
Star of the tournament Honey Hireme-Smiler said the side had a ruthless mentality.
“We came in with big wraps, we were the heavyweights in that era, and were clear on what we set out to achieve.”
Despite the stunning accomplishment, their win went completely under the radar.
Overshadowed by the world cup campaigns of the All Blacks and Black Caps, as well as the America’s Cup, the Ferns were shown little love or spotlight.
“That’s just the way media was. They weren’t interested in female sports, so we never got any coverage,” Hireme-Smiler said.
So slight was their exposure, Hireme-Smiler admits she did not even know the team existed until her late teens.
“There was a whole lot of unknowns with the Kiwi Ferns – I wasn’t even aware we had a women’s team.”
Despite the one-sided scorelines, Hireme-Smiler said the tournament was brutal.
“We might have dominated on the field, but there were actually some really good battles in terms of the physicality.”
She credits much of their superiority to coach Lawrence Brighton’s innovative game plan.
“There was a lot of focus on going ‘up the guts’, but Lawrence was all about shifting the ball and using the players out wide. So he wanted to play quite an expensive game.
“I felt that really was a turning point in terms of women’s rugby league and playing more eyes-up footy, versus just take it through the middle.”
Bagging 10 tries in the tournament, Hireme-Smiler said she had a field day out wide.
“It was (fun) for me, because I was an outside back, so I saw plenty of ball and had the freedom to play, and that was kind of the style that suited me well.”
The team’s flawless run culminated in a final against the New Zealand Māori.
“It was a physical final, it was mates against mates, and we just got stuck into each other. It was brutal. We were lucky we just had a little bit more polish in terms of that skill-set and being able to run around them because they were bashing us!”
The dual international said there was just something special about the Kiwi Ferns team.
“Once I got into that environment, it’s contagious. It was a sisterhood. Whether you were a rookie, or a former player – once a Kiwi Fern, always a Kiwi Fern.”
Honey Hireme-Smiler scored 10 tries at the 2003 World Cup.
Photo: © Copyright Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz Photosport Ltd 2018
As amateurs, the Ferns had to rely on fundraising to get to global events.
“We had a group of amazing women who sold raffle tickets to get us anywhere in the world, and had they not done what they did, year in and year out, for the Kiwi Ferns, we wouldn’t have the proud history that we have.”
But money didn’t matter to the Ferns.
“We were amateur, but we operated as a high-performing team. We knew the pressure that came with a black jersey and regardless if we’re on a payroll or not, we absolutely operated with the mana of wearing that black and white jersey and representing your country.”
The Black Ferns and All Blacks had often been touted as our greatest performing sports teams, and with good reason – having won a combined 602 of their 776 test matches.
But pound for pound, stat for stat, could their rival code also make a claim for that title?
The All Blacks have won 76.63 percent of their tests played, while the Black Ferns boast a 130 win-107 loss record: a winning percentage of 82.31.
Comparatively, since 1995 the Kiwi Ferns have won 49 out of 60 tests – a winning percentage of 81.67 – and should they get past Australia in Christchurch this weekend, and defeat Papua New Guinea on 3 November, they will equal the Black Ferns on 82 percent.
That number alone does not tell the full story of the Kiwi Ferns’ reign over international rugby league.
Winning 29 of its first 30 tests, it took four years for the Ferns to taste defeat, their first loss coming against the Jillaroos 22-20 in 1999.
Photo: Photosport Ltd 2019
The Ferns were rampant in their early years, outscoring their opponents 1108-222.
They won the first three world cups, defeating Great Britain 26-4 in 2000, the New Zealand Māori 58-0 in 2003, and Australia 34-0 in 2008.
The tide turned in 2013, when Australia won the first of its three World Cups 22-12, before edging the Ferns again 23-16 in 2017 and 54-4 in 2021.
Australia remained the only side ever to have defeated the Kiwi Ferns, picking up 11 wins from their 28 encounters.
New Zealand maintained a winning record against every other nation, including 12 wins over England and Great Britain combined, and have scored a total of 2036 points while conceding 589.
Take the Jillaroos out of the equation, and that number changes to 1436 for, and just 154 against.
The Kiwi Ferns’ numbers also leave their male counterparts in the dust, with the Kiwis on a 42.86 winning percentage, having lost 206 of its 385 tests.
Overall winning percentages for our national teams
- Black Ferns – 82.31%
- Kiwi Ferns – 81.67%
- All Blacks – 76.63%
- Silver Ferns – 74%
- Tall Ferns – 45.6%
- Tall Blacks 45.4%
- Kiwis – 42.86%
- All Whites – 41.37%
- Black Caps* – 40.3%
- White Ferns* – 35.75%
- Football Ferns – 32%
*Cricket sides factor in all three formats.