‘‘A year out from a World Cup, it’s not a catastrophe’’ Melodie Robinson on how the Black Ferns can turn form

Double World Cup-winning Black Fern Melodie Robinson tells Paul Cully she wants to see more coaching resources put in to address the flaws exposed in Europe.

The Black Ferns have the talent to erase last year’s horror tour of Europe in time for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in October – but they will be up against it and will need a bit of help from their friends, says Melodie Robinson.

The former Black Fern was, like many, disappointed as the Black Ferns were soundly beaten by England and France in November, believing a long, enforced spell of ‘‘isolation’’ left them badly unprepared. Robinson sees clear areas for improvement, but the woman who won two Rugby World Cups during her playing career is under no illusions about the mountain they have to climb.

‘‘Yes, there is [time], although it would be a very challenging task for them to be able to turn that around,’’ Robinson told the

Sunday Star-Times.

‘‘I think if you looked at what went wrong for them at the endof-year tour, it was game skills, things that can be fixed up by some really intense coaching in expertise.

‘‘And I think that we’ve got loads of it in New Zealand.

‘‘Let’s just say Wayne Smith put his hand up to help their attack, from No 1 to No 15.

‘‘You know that they’d be able

to really improve.

‘‘We’ve also got excellent lineout coaches, and that was a key Achilles heel, defensive lineouts and stopping mauls, and

that’s something you can work on really hardout to fine-tune how you’re going to defend those.’’

The Black Ferns’ tour

prompted some soul-searching into the state of the national side, particularly after hooker Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate later said she suffered a mental health crisis after allegedly critical comments from head coach Glenn Moore.

Robinson didn’t want to preempt New Zealand Rugby’s review of the tour, but she noted that elite sport often placed brutal mental demands on its participants.

‘‘I think you have to always understand, and this is with all high-performance sport, that it’s high-pressure,’’ she said. ‘‘It is a very unusual culture to be a part of, and people find it difficult.

‘‘It’s always been like that. And so I really sympathise with Te Kura’s response, because it’s hard, it’s really, really hard . . . you do feel a lot of pressure.

‘‘So, [the outcome] really depends on what the rest of the players said in the review, the feedback that they’ve given.

‘‘Things like that actually unite teams to be closer and to improve. So, a year out from a World Cup, it’s not a catastrophe. You can really get tight.

‘‘The Black Ferns have a great culture off the field. It’s just small things like that with the pressure and the wellness that need to be taken care of as well.’’

Robinson was also hopeful that the availability of a few key figures from the Sevens programme could make a big difference for the Black Ferns – particularly the inspirational Sarah Hirini, who will play for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Aupuki.

‘‘Consider that some of the Sevens girls will be available as well. So, that bolsters your talent pool, hopefully with people like Sarah Hirini being available for the World Cup will really give them the expertise they need.’’

‘‘A year out from a World Cup, it’s not a catastrophe.’’ Melodie Robinson