Black Ferns v Wallaroos: Ruby Tui, Kelly Brazier make test returns as five ruled out with injury
A string of injuries have seen director of performance Allan Bunting turn to the depth in his squad for Saturday's test against the Wallaroos
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Black Ferns halfbacks headline tight positional battles ahead of Rugby World Cup defence
New Zealand Rugby Player of the Year Jorja Miller speaks about transferring to the Black Ferns from the sevens side and her future goals. Video / Alyse Wright Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. With the squad tasked with defending the World Cup in England now named, the Black Ferns are making sure all bases are covered. A 33-strong team was announced late last week, with the World Cup set to begin in late August. It was a squad with big variations in experience. Among them, 14 were named for their first World Cup campaign – including six players to feature in three tests or fewer – while others head into their third and fourth. It's a balance that will benefit the side in the quest to hoist the biggest prize in the sport for a seventh time, assistant coach Tony Christie said. 'I think we did a really good job of getting that balance right between the experience. We've got girls here who [have] won pinnacle events, whether it be World Cups or gold medalists, and then we've got some young players with some real flair and a real high-risk attitude which we love in this team,' he said.
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Black Caps v Zimbabwe first test: Live updates from Bulawayo
All the action as the Black Caps face Zimbabwe in the first test, from Bulawayo All you need to know The Black Caps don the whites for the first time in more than seven months as they begin a two-test series against Zimbabwe, a side they have never lost against. Who is in and out for the Black Caps? There is no Kane Williamson (he is playing in the Hundred T20 tournament) or Glenn Phillips (groin injury), with Michael Bracewell coming in as a replacement for Phillips for just the first test before he also joins the Hundred in England. Tom Latham was set to captain the side but has been ruled out of the first test due to a shoulder injury. Mitchell Santner will captain the test side for the first time. Other than those omissions and the retirement of Tim Southee, it's a similar-looking squad to the last test series against England in the middle of December. Devon Conway returns after missing the third test against England for the birth of his child. The only new name is Northern Districts fast bowler Matthew Fisher, a genuine quick, who is likely battling Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy for the third bowling spot behind the established duo Matt Henry and Will O'Rourke. Santner and Ajaz Patel are the spin bowling options in the squad, with Patel having a chance to continue his fine record outside of New Zealand, where he has taken all of his 85 wickets. Both are likely to play, although Bracewell's inclusion for the first test may change that. Henry Nicholls is also in the squad, having last played in 2023, and could come into the side with Latham out of the first test. Black Caps squad Mitchell Santner (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Will Young, Tom Latham (out of first test). Zimbabwe squad Craig Ervine (captain), Ben Curran, Roy Kaia, Clive Madande, Tanunurwa Makoni, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Nick Welch, Brian Bennett, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Tanaka Chivanga, Trevor Gwandu, Wellington Masakadza, Vincent Masekesa, Blessing Muzarabani, Newman Nyamhuri. The Black Caps 'perfect' coach Rob Walter The other newcomer to the Black Caps is of course the man in charge. It will be Rob Walter's first test and so far he's made the perfect start at the helm of the Black Caps, with five Twenty20 victories to take out the Tri-Series. The 49-year-old South African will coach all formats until the end of the T20 World Cup in November 2028. He replaces Gary Stead who coached New Zealand to 27 test wins, the most by a Black Caps coach. Are there World Test Championship points on the line in New Zealand-Zimbabwe series? No. Zimbabwe are not one of the nine teams competing in the 2025-2027 World Test Championship edition. The Black Caps don't begin their WTC campaign until the home series against West Indies in December. The Black Caps have never lost a test against Zimbabwe... New Zealand and Zimbabwe have played 17 tests, dating back to their first meeting in 1992, and the Black Caps have won 11 with six draws. They have also won the last six straight tests against Zimbabwe, the most recent draw being in 2000 at the Basin Reserve. The last time the two sides met was nine years ago, two tests at Bulawayo. Latham, Nicholls and Santner are the only members of the current squad who have faced Zimbabwe in a test. Zimbabwe are coming off four successive heavy defeats, three by an innings. The last one was this month to South Africa when Proteas captain Wiann Mulder made 367 before declaring short of Brian Lara's test record. Zimbabwe's last 15 tests had a return of 12 defeats, two draws and one win against Bangladesh. The closest Zimbabwe have come to beating the Black Caps was in 2011, when they fell 35 runs short of a fourth innings chase of 366 with New Zealand capturing the final wicket after drinks in the final session on day five. The 1997 test could have also gone Zimbabwe's way, ending in a draw with New Zealand needing 11 more runs to win with just two wickets left. When does play start in the first test? Play is scheduled to begin each day at 8pm NZT. First session: 8pm-10pm Second session: 10.40pm-12.40am Third session: 1am-3am The Herald will have live updates from 8pm each day. ThreeNow is broadcasting the tests live and free. TAB odds Black Caps v Zimbabwe New Zealand win $1.11 Draw $9.25 Zimbabwe win $11.50
