Firstly, the All Blacks played out a thriller at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday night, beating the Wallabies 35-29 to retain the Bledisloe Cup, which they have held since 2003.
Then, in Belfast yesterday morning [NZ time], the Black Ferns came storming back in the second half to win the Women’s Rugby World Cup final, beating England’s ‘‘Red Roses’’ 41-32.
Throw in the under-20 world championships in Georgia on June 18, won by New Zealand 64-17 over England, and it has been a profitable few months for New Zealand rugby.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen congratulated the Black Ferns yesterday and said the success could be put down to various factors.
‘‘It says we are doing some things right particularly in development and the playing of the game. It is something we can sit down and be proud of.’’
‘‘Most people are outside and learning to play sport and running around. We don’t just play one sport either. That gives us a collection of skills which allows us to play a game which is pretty fluid and we can do the basics well.’’
The All Blacks victory on Saturday night, played in front of a crowd topping 27,000, featured 10 tries, got off to a slow start.
The start to the game was delayed after a software issue at the stadium switched off many lights in the stadium between 7.01pm and 7.18pm, forcing teams to warm up in dim light.
The game started more than 10 minutes later than the planned 7.35pm kick-off with a light show scheduled before the match being abandoned.
