New Zealand women's national rugby union team
 |
|
| Union | New Zealand Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Black Ferns |
| Coach(es) |
 Glenn Moore
|
| Captain(s) |
Fiao’o Fa’amausili
|
| Most caps |
Anna Richards
|
| Top scorer |
Anna Richards (89) |
| First international | |
New Zealand 56 - 0 Netherlands  (Christchurch, New Zealand; August 26, 1990) |
|
| Largest win | |
New Zealand 134 - 6 Germany  (Amsterdam, Netherlands; May 2, 1998) |
|
| Largest defeat | |
 England 21 - 7 New Zealand (Esher, England; November 29, 2011) |
|
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 6 (First in 1991) |
| Best result | Champions 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 |
The New Zealand national women's rugby union team, officially nicknamed the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport.
The team's nickname combines the colour black and the silver fern, which are iconic New Zealand sporting symbols. For example, the All Blacks is New Zealand's famous men's rugby team, the Black Caps is the men's cricket team, the White Ferns is the women's cricket team, while the Silver Ferns is the national women's netball team.
They won four consecutive World Cups before losing in the 2014 final, winning the first International Rugby Board (IRB)-sponsored Cup in 1998, the 2002 World Cup in Barcelona, the 2006 World Cup in Edmonton, Canada, and the 2010 World Cup in London, England. The Black Ferns have participated in most WRWC events since its inauguration in 1991, only missing the 1994 championship in Scotland. They also won the Canada Cup in 1996, 2000, and 2005, and the Churchill Cup in 2004.
Farah Palmer, who had been captain since 1997, lost her captaincy in 2005 due to a shoulder injury. However, she was honoured as International Women's (Rugby) Personality of the Year at the IRB Awards. During that year, Rochelle Martin and Anna Richards led the team in the 2005 test series against England, which the Black Ferns won 2-0. For the 5th Women's Rugby World Cup in Canada, Farah Palmer fought her way back into the Black Ferns team. After again leading the team to World Cup victory, Palmer announced her retirement from the Black Ferns in September 2006.
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