Last year, the Black Ferns were given a wake-up call after a torrid Northern Hemisphere tour which saw them outclassed and outplayed by England and France in four heavy defeats.
With a home World Cup on the horizon things needed to change - and they did with Wayne Smith spearheading a new coaching team named in April.
They now face their toughest test yet ahead of the World Cup, facing Australia in the O'Reilly Cup starting on Saturday.
He's only been in the job for four months but coaching guru Smith's already had a huge influence on the Black Ferns.
"He's not one to do things by the book," co-captain Ruahei Demant said. "He doesn't follow the herd, he always tries to find an edge."
The former All Blacks coach believes that's the recipe for success at the World Cup, and admits they need to embrace the unconventional if they're to have any chance of reversing the results of last year's disastrous northern tour
"There are some areas we're not going to be able to compete with some of the bigger teams in Europe [in]," said Smith.
"We need to be really clever, play an attacking game - create a bit of chaos."
One of Smith's partners in chaos is former Black Ferns Sevens coach Allan Bunting.
"He's known for creating environments where everyone feels like they can belong and can be themselves and express themselves," added Demant.
"Sixty percent of rugby is unstructured," said Smith. "So you've got to be really good at that."
A player with the skills to excel in those situations is sevens star Tyla Nathan-Wong, who'll make her Black Ferns debut on Saturday.
"Tyla's really good at playing on top," said co-captain Kennedy Simon. "She's got really good vision.
"We've just got to keep up with her."
With their new star-studded coaching team, it could be everyone else playing catch up with the Black Ferns.
"There's no excuse for us," said Demant. "We've got the best of the best."
And hopefully that can lead first to O'Reilly Cup and then World Cup glory later this year.
Join Newshub for live updates of the Black Ferns v Australia from 7pm Saturday
