black ferns

The rescheduled event in New Zealand will likely be Cocksedge's international swansong.

The former World Rugby women's player of the year believed lifting the world cup trophy at Eden Park in November next year would be the perfect sign-off to her 15-year career in the black jersey.

Although she regularly joked with her team mates about when she would hang up her boots - she has made no concrete decisions - however she said the past year had brought her future in the game into focus.

World Rugby is investing 12.4 million dollars in a three-tier tournament from 2023 which will help improve depth ahead of the expanded 16-team World Cup in 2025.

New Zealand would take part in a cross-regional tournament featuring Oceania and North American teams in June with the top three then joining the top three Eurpoean teams in a global event in September-October.

Cate Sexton, New Zealand Rugby's head of women's rugby development, says that sort of commitment would warrant contracting players.

The game will be a part of an opening day triple header at the Auckland ground.

The match schedule has been released with six games on the opening day, including another triple-header at the Northland Events Centre in Whangarei.

The 44,000 capacity Eden Park will also host the semi-finals on Saturday, October 9th and the bronze final and on Saturday, October 16th.

For the first time there will also be quarter-finals with those shared between Whangarei and Waitakere Stadium.

New Zealand's Nathan-Wong, Stacey Fluhler and Ruby Tui made the women's team of the series, with the Scott Curry the sole All Blacks Sevens player in the men's team.

Both New Zealand sides were this morning officially crowned overall champions of the Covid disrupted World Series season.

They topped the standings when the season was officially called off earlier this year.

For the Black Ferns, victory represented success at the first official world-series event form women in New Zealand.

They secured their semi-final spot with a 38-21 win over Fiji in their final pool game on Sunday morning, with Stacey Fluhler scoring a try hat-trick and Michaela Blyde a double.

Late in their semi, they trailled France, and needed tries from Fluhler and Kelly Brazier, both converted, to emerge 19-7 winners.