, 267 players have played for the Black Ferns, New Zealand's national women's rugby union team. The Black Ferns played their first game in 1989 against a visiting Pacific Coast Grizzlies side from the United States at Christchurch's Lancaster Park. The "first" Black Fern was Jacquileen Apiata, which was decided by alphabetical order. The most recent Black Fern is Laura Bayfield â #267.