Black Ferns flanker Elinor-Plum King stuns France on WXV debut after almost missing her first call-up

Elinor-Plum King almost never answered the call that launched her international career. The 22-year-old openside flanker from Onga Onga, Central Hawke’s Bay, ignored the first phone call informing her she had been selected for the Black Ferns — she simply did not recognise the number.

“When I first got the phone call saying I’d made the Black Ferns, I ignored it,” King said. “I didn’t recognise the number. Fortunately, I know Whitney Hansen quite well.”

The moment she did find out, it was anything but understated. “When we announce the team, we’re in a room. Your name goes on a big screen. The emotions are unreal. The girls get around you. It’s a very happy place.”

King has wasted little time justifying the selection. On debut against Australia in Auckland on 22 August, she made 16 tackles and two turnovers in a 66-19 win. A week later she scored two tries, made nine tackles and forced two more turnovers to claim player of the match in just her second Test — a 52-20 victory over South Africa in Soweto on 5 September.

She carried that form into the WXV Global Series opener in Lyon on Saturday, where the Black Ferns defeated France 28-14. King contributed eight tackles and was a persistent nuisance at the breakdown against a vastly experienced French back row of Axelle Berthoumieu, Léa Champon and Charlotte Escudero, who collectively made 49 of their 50 tackles.

“It was an awesome battle against the French,” King said. “It was hot. They were very physical and unpredictable with their kicking game.”

The South Africa result, though emphatic on the scoreboard, had been more turbulent than the margin suggested. Four yellow cards left New Zealand playing 13 against 15 at one stage, a 17-7 penalty count went against them, and three tries were conceded from lineout drives.

“South Africa are a really dominant team in that set-piece space,” King acknowledged. “We worked hard to tighten that up against France. The first thing is not giving away penalties and inviting the opposition into your 22. Then we made some technical adjustments. We’re quite an agile pack, so we worked to shift the opposition rather than try to overwhelm them with power.”

The tactical shift paid dividends in Lyon, where France were haphazard in the lineout, winning just nine of 15 throws.

Off the field, King’s story is equally striking. She grew up on a lifestyle block in Onga Onga — population 153 according to the 2023 New Zealand Census — one of eight siblings raised by her mother Kel. “I can name them all,” King laughed. “We’re stocked, we have a whole sevens team.”

With three Tests played and a WXV campaign now under way, the flanker from a town of 153 people is making herself very difficult to ignore.