Black Ferns captain Les Elder admits there's been an extra edge to their week of preparation for their historic clash with England.
On Monday (NZ time), the Black Ferns will square off with their rivals at Exeter's Sandy Park, where they'll celebrate the team's 100th test match and their first taste of international rugby since August 2019.
That milestone, their first match in more than two years and the natural enthusiasm from nine debutants mean the squad's excitement levels are overflowing.
Returning from maternity leave to reclaim the captaincy, Elder admits managing that fervour has been a challenge.
"It's quite a balancing act," she says. "It's a special occasion, but we also just want to manage emotions as well.
"I think the debutants, who are coming out, have taken all of that on board... the emotion of that, the emotion of the 100th test.
"We're just here to make all of those who have gone before us proud."
The Black Ferns last played England at San Diego in 2019, where they prevailed 28-13.
Most played little part in the recent Farah Palmer Cup domestic competition, meaning competitive match conditioning has been in scarce supply.
But Elder quickly dismisses any suggestion her side may be rusty come kickoff, noting the circumstances are almost an uncanny nod to their predecessors, for whom lack of international women's teams meant tests were few and far between.
"It's not a factor to us," says Elder. "It's something the Black Ferns have always done - operated off hardly any rugby, and then gone and won test matches - so we're no different."
Elder notes the large squad has allowed them to split into 15 v 15 games for training, where she's encouraged by what she's seen.
"We've got threats all across the field. We've got the ability to power through the middle if we need to, so we'll be looking to use all the different tools from the tool box."
Join us from 3am, Monday for live updates of Black Ferns v England
