“We knew it was going to be a massive challenge. I have played a lot of Test matches in my time but I probably forgot what it was like a little bit, that jump to Test rugby is tough.”
“It’s a step up in physicality, the pace of the game is a lot faster than the Farah Palmer Cup and some of those English players are the most experienced women’s players in the world.”
Alley said the team has done a thorough review of the 43-12 loss.
“It’s the little moments here and there in a Test match. Every little moment you get to get on top of your opposition or get points on the board, you have to take and we let ourselves down a few times on Sunday. But a lot of the things we fell short on are easy fixes for us and we’re looking forward to getting stuck back into them this weekend.”
The team blooded nine debutants in the first Test, which add invaluable experience to the squad.
“I thought our debutants were outstanding. A lot of them have been fighting for the dream to wear the black jersey for a very long time, they’ve been in and around our environment for the past two and a half years that we haven’t had tests, for them it was a welcome to Test rugby and something we needed.
“There is only one way to get better at playing Test rugby, and that’s to play Test rugby, it's to feel that pressure.”
The Black Ferns face England again this Sunday at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton and Alley is confident in an improved performance.
“We are looking forward to this weekend, we’ll fix what we need to fix, we’ll rise another level and put mana back in that black jersey – that is our goal this weekend.”
Kick off is at 3.45am NZT on Monday and will be live on Sky Sport NZ. Check the world broadcast guide HERE.