By Lucy Thomson in Exeter and Reuters
The Black Ferns celebrate a try to Braxton Sorensen-McGee (C). Photo: Photosport
Live RNZ blog: Black Ferns v Springboks Women
Kick-off: 12am, Sunday 14 September, Sandy Park, Exeter
The Black Ferns say they're keen to start their own rivalry with South Africa ahead of this weekend's Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Exeter.
The contest in Exeter kicks off just three hours after the men's teams add another chapter to their storied rivalry - with the All Blacks and Springboks contesting a Rugby Championship test in Wellington on Saturday night.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, New Zealand then square off against the Springboks women for the first time in more than a decade, something that has Black Ferns flanker Jorja Miller on edge.
"The All Blacks-Springbok rivalry is pretty massive ... we know about that but we're excited to start our own rivalry with them," Miller said.
The occasion not only reflects the deep history shared by the two rugby nations but highlights the growth of the women's game.
It is the first time the Springbok women have made it out of pool play at a World Cup.
Black Ferns captain Ruahei Demant said: "It's exciting to see how far women's rugby has come, in not just our country, but other countries around the world."
The only previous New Zealand-South Africa women's test came in pool play at the 2010 Rugby World Cup, also in England.
Kelly Brazier. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
Kelly Brazier is the only member of the current Black Ferns squad to have played in that game, scoring 15 points in a convincing 55-3 victory.
"We don't really get a lot of games each year, and when we do we're often playing the same teams ... so that's the exciting thing about a World Cup and other tournaments that bring all the best teams in the world together, is you get that opportunity to play teams that you rarely play or have never played," Demant said.
Black Ferns director of rugby Allan Bunting also acknowledged the significance of the occasion before wishing his All Blacks counterpart, Scott Robertson, the best of luck.
"They're right behind us, and we're right behind them too and we'll be watching."
Demant urged fans in New Zealand to stay up a few hours later to support them too.
"The tautoko at home, we feel that too, and so stay awake because there's no work on Sunday," she joked.
South African leg-up
Ironically, New Zealand gave South Africa a helping hand in their preparations for this World Cup by sending a second-string side, the Black Ferns XV, to Cape Town for two internationals.
South Africa's victory in the second game, their last warm-up before travelling to England, helped their confidence.
"We needed the win and the way we did it was an extra boost," said coach Swys de Bruin.
A narrow win over Italy in the pool stage catapulted them into the knockouts, achieving the objective they had set for themselves before arriving in England.
"We do not need to worry about anything else; we can just go out and play and make sure we stick to our processes," assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt said.
"We have a plan for this match and prepared well. There is no way that we will just roll over because we are playing against a New Zealand team that has won this tournament six times already."
The winner of Sunday morning's quarterfinal will face either Australia or Canada in next week's semi and gain automatic qualification to the 2029 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
- RNZ/Reuters
