A new era has begun for the Black Ferns, and it opened with a milestone. In their first international since lifting the 2025 Rugby World Cup, New Zealand returned to the field against the United States in Sacramento in early May, marking the start of life under new head coach Whitney Hansen — and a record-setting day for captain Ruahei Demant.
Demant led the side out for the 36th time, moving past Fiao'o Faamausili's previous mark of 35 to become the most-capped captain in Black Ferns history. It was a fitting way to launch a fresh chapter, with the leadership group carried over from a world-title triumph even as the coaching ticket changed hands.
For Demant, the arrival of Hansen has injected new energy without unpicking what made the team successful.
"We have a new head coach, which has brought in a new level of excitement, refreshing ideas while staying true to a lot of the values that this team has held dearly since its inception," Demant said.
Hansen, taking charge of her first test as the Black Ferns' head coach, was wary of judging the new group on the scoreboard alone. The women's game, she argued, is moving too fast for outcomes to tell the whole story.
"You have to be careful when you use outcome as a measure of performance," Hansen said. "The women's space is growing exponentially, everyone is improving rapidly. They play a power game. They'll try to go through us, so we have to be relentless on defence."
The challenge of the United States was a pointed one. The Eagles' physical, direct approach offered an early gauge of where the Black Ferns stand as they begin building towards the next cycle, and Hansen named an experienced starting side. Only tighthead prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu and lock Laura Bayfield had fewer than ten test caps, while Mia Anderson, Tara Turner and Justine McGregor were handed first-time places among the reserves.
At the heart of it all sits Demant, whose standing within the squad Hansen was happy to underline.
"There's a real humility to who Lu is," the coach said of her captain. "She's always willing to give time to grow the space and make it better. There's confidence about that. Everyone is willing to go to war with her."
The result mattered less than the marker laid down: a record captaincy, a new coach, and a world champion side beginning the long process of reinvention. For the Black Ferns, the Hansen era is up and running — and the standards, on the evidence of those opening words, have not slipped.
