Wallaroos backrower Emily Chancellor is ready to take the game to the world-champion Black Ferns as she returns from her English expedition.
Chancellor is one of three returning Wallaroos for the Pacific Four opener on July 28 in Redcliffe, having spent the last six months with Premier 15s club Harlequins alongside Arabella McKenzie and Kaitlan Leaney.
Outside back Lori Cramer will join them in Ottawa for the remaining two games against the USA and Canada, set to be named in Exeter's squad for the Final against Gloucester.
“The experience was unreal, so good to play so many games of Rugby and hopefully I can bring that information back here," Chancellor said on her Wallaroos return.
“I’m really excited to be back here with the Wallaroos environment. I think the vibe here is excited, everyone is eager to get involved which is what we want to see.
“It felt like my first day of school again. You don’t want to let anyone down and you don’t know how the environment has been for the rest of the camps…it’s been a quiet first day but hopefully I find myself and where I fit back in the team.”
“They’ve been in a professional program and we saw from last year when we played the Pac Four, the USA just lifted massively from bringing in their girls from the Premiership and same with the Canadians," assistant coach Scott Fava added.
“We’re hoping from that same perspective the three girls and then when Lori (Cramer) joins us in Canada, that professional environment they’ve been in for the last six months, they’ll show that standards and the standards of how to train and play need to be at a level that is worthy of being a professional.
“Hopefully it brings the girls and the rest of the group up to the level we really would like to get to.”
The Wallaroos are still yet to record their first win over their New Zealand counterparts, however, the signs of improvement are there to be seen in their most recent results.
They lead for the first time at the break in last year's competition before stunning the Black Ferns in the Rugby World Cup 2021 opener to take a quick 17-0 lead.
On both occasions, the class of the Kiwis were too much and they were run down. However, with a host of Black Ferns stars either retiring or returning to Sevens and their coach moving on, Chancellor believes this is the best time to cause the upset.
“It’s no stone unturned. We really want to focus on taking this opportunity. This is one of the best opportunities we have to beat them," she said.
“Every time we’ve played them has been a really good opportunity to put our best foot forwards but I think the attitude from the team is this is our opportunity so lets go out and take it.”
