Black Ferns reach 150-Test milestone against France with six World Cups to their name

New Zealand’s Black Ferns will mark their 150th Test match when they host France in Whangarei this Saturday as part of the WXV Global Series, a milestone that arrives 35 years after their first international and cements their status as one of the most decorated teams in women’s sport.

With six Women’s Rugby World Cup titles and 123 Test wins to their name, the Black Ferns have a record that few programmes in any sport can match. Their journey began on April 6, 1991, when they beat Wales 24-6 at The Dairyfield, Llanharen, with winger Lesley Brett scoring three tries and Helen Mahon-Stroud, a Canterbury police officer, crossing for the first try in the team’s history. Brett’s son, Stephen, would later become a Maori All Black.

The statistics accumulated across those 150 Tests are remarkable. In 44 Rugby World Cup appearances alone, the Black Ferns have won 41, scoring 2,027 points and conceding just 427. Their biggest margin of victory came against France in Edmonton in 1996 — a 109-0 demolition in which Christine Ross kicked 13 conversions, a record that still stands. Ross’s husband Jock and son Isaac both went on to represent the All Blacks.

Kendra Cocksedge holds the individual records, having played 68 Tests, won 53 of them, and accumulated 388 points — all Black Ferns bests. Anna Richards was the cornerstone of the early era, appearing in 49 of the first 51 Tests between 1991 and 2010 and starting the 2010 World Cup final win over England at the age of 45.

Among the more striking team records is an unblemished run of 32 wins from 32 Tests against Australia, their most victories against any single opponent. They have also won all 11 Tests played at Eden Park, a venue from which neither the Black Ferns nor the All Blacks have departed on the losing side since 2003.

The 100th Test win came against Canada in Ottawa in 2023, a 52-21 victory that made the Black Ferns the fastest Tier 1 nation to reach that landmark — England had needed 119 Tests to achieve the same feat back in 2006.

One of the more unusual footnotes in the team’s history involves Annaleah and Xavier Rush, who on August 29, 1998 became the first brother and sister to play Test matches on the same day at the same ground. Annaleah helped the Black Ferns beat Australia 27-3 at Sydney Football Stadium while Xavier played No. 8 for the All Blacks in their 19-14 defeat to the Wallabies on the same turf.