England recorded a monumental win at the Allianz Stadium this afternoon, as they achieved a 24-12 triumph over New Zealand. The Red Roses claimed a solid victory against the back-to-back Women’s Rugby World Cup winners, and maintain their title as the number one ranked side in the world ahead of WXV.
It was a first half blitz that did the damage, as England scored three unanswered tries in the first 40 minutes. A hot second half start stretched to a 24-0 lead, with New Zealand given too much to do to forge any kind of a Black Ferns comeback. Marlie Packer, Abby Dow, Ellie Kildunne and Natasha Hunt all scored tries for England, with the Black Ferns managing two scores through their flying wing Katelyn Vahaakolo.
England took longer than they would have liked to gain a foothold upon the game, as the action all favoured the Black Ferns for the first 15 minutes. The ball rarely crossed into the New Zealand half, and the visitors could well have been over to score, had it not been for the impressive defensive efforts of Jess Breach.
Black Ferns wing Ayesha Leti-i’iga left Ellie Kildunne in the dust, as she broke along the right touchline eight minutes in. Thankfully, Breach was on hand to make a crucial try-saving tackle, and then stole the ball at the breakdown in a stunning effort. Kildunne made amends with a break-halting hit, as she dragged down Leti-i’iga after another dangerous break six minutes later.
The pendulum of momentum swung in England’s favour, as the Red Roses were over to score first. Whilst England captain Marlie Packer got the plaudits for the try, it was her back-row partner Maddie Feaunati who turned the tide on her former teammates following her time in New Zealand. Feaunati won a turnover to keep New Zealand pinned in the corner, with the rolling maul grounded by the Red Roses skipper.
England were then inches away from a second try, as Kildunne broke into the back-field. The Harlequin shipped the ball to Breach, however a Black Ferns hand pumped the ball out of her reach, with the try-line beckoning. All the Black Ferns could do under pressure was clear their lines, which returned the ball to the try-hungry Red Roses
The ball was promptly sailed out to the right wing, and into the hands of the exhilarating Abby Dow. The Trailfinders star pinned her ears back and hit her feared top gear, as she blistered past Katelyn Vahaakolo and left scorch marks on the touchline on her way through to score. Aitchison ran out of time to take the conversion, with the score-line reading 10-0 after half an hour’s play.
The Red Roses kept this fire burning, with a third try scored before the half-time break. The move started with the Black Ferns halting a rolling maul, yet there was no let-up in the back-line. The ball found Ellie Kildunne, who does not need a second invitation to score.
The Harlequin faked the wide pass wide to Dow and slinked her way past a sea of black jerseys at b break neck speed. The fullback kept her composure to score, despite a clattering collision with the post protector. Aitchison added her first conversion to extend the Red Roses’ lead.
England were forced to drop to 14 players, after Zoe Aldcroft was penalised at the breakdown. The Gloucester-Hartpury lock was sent to the sin bin for illegally halting the ferocious pace of the Black Ferns. England withstood the final wave of attack, and cleared the ball for a 17-0 half-time advantage.
HALF TIME: ENGLAND 17 – 0 NEW ZEALAND
England rolled the attacking momentum into the second half, and were hot out of the gate with a try after just one minute. The Red Roses had the Black Ferns pinned back on their try-line, and Gloucester-Hartpury halfback Hunt spotted a gap and sniped in from close range. Aitchison’s conversion extended the lead to 24-0.
There was a few fierce collisions, with the England and New Zealand medics run rampant on and off the Allianz. Georgia Ponsonby was replaced for a HIA at 48 minutes, with the substitution later confirmed to be permanent. Feaunati then hit the deck, with the Black Ferns capitalising on the injured England flanker.
With an overlap in the attacking line, New Zealand shipped the ball out to the left wing, with Katelyn Vahaakolo collecting the ball with a full head of steam. The wing was too quick for the recovering Holly Aitchison, as the Black Ferns got their first points on the board after 53 minutes, albeit without the subsequent conversion.
Vahaakolo followed this up with her second try just eight minutes later, as the wing continued to claw the Black Ferns back into the contest. With the assist credited to the quick hands of Ruby Tui, Vahaakolo this time was too fast for Abby Dow, with the wing left clutching at thin air in her diving tackle attempt. A successful conversion from Renee Holmes narrowed down the margin to 24-12 just after the hour mark.
The 41,523 supporters at the Allianz Stadium then erupted in support, as the Red Roses made a replacement with 10 minutes remaining. John Mitchell awarded a long awaited debut to back-row battler Georgia Brock, who replaced her captain Marlie Packer in the match’s closing moments.
FULL TIME: ENGLAND 24 – 12 NEW ZEALAND
ENGLAND: 24
TRIES: 4 (M. Packer 19′, Dow 30′, Kildunne 36′, Hunt 41′
CONVERSIONS: 2 (Aitchison 36′, 41′)
PENALTIES:
DROP GOALS:
YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Aldcroft 39′)
RED CARDS:
15. Ellie Kildunne 14. Abby Dow 13. Emily Scarratt 12. Tatyana Heard 11. Jess Breach 10. Holly Aitchison 9. Natasha Hunt 1. Mackenzie Carson 2. Lark Atkin-Davies 3. Sarah Bern 4. Zoe Aldcroft 5. Abbie Ward 6. Maddie Feaunati 7. Marlie Packer (C) 8. Alex Matthews
16. Amy Cokayne 17. Hannah Botterman 18. Maud Muir 19. Morwenna Talling 20. Georgia Brock 21. Lucy Packer 22. Zoe Harrison 23. Helena Rowland
NEW ZEALAND: 12
TRIES: 2 (Vahaakolo 53′, 61′,
CONVERSIONS: 1 (Holmes 61′,)
PENALTIES: 0
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
15. Renee Holmes 14. Ayesha Leti I’iga 13. Logo-i-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt 12. Ruahei Demant 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo 10. Hannah King 9. Maia Joseph 1. Chryss Viliko 2. Georgia Ponsonby 3. Tanya Kalounivale 4. Alana Bremner 5. Maiakawanakaulani Roos 6. Liana Mikaele Tu’u 7. Kennedy Tukuafu 8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker
16. Atlanta Lolohea 17. Kate Henwood 18. Amy Rule 19. Maama Vaipulu 20. Layla Sae 21. Iritana Hohaia 22. Amy du Plessis 23. Ruby Tui
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron / Assistant Referee: Aurélie Groizeleau / Assistant Referee: Chelsea Gillespie / TMO: Leo Colgan
5 THINGS WE LEARNED: ENGLAND 24 – 14 NEW ZEALAND
1. Emily Scarratt steps up the speed to kick start her 100th Red Roses start
Firmly in the focus for the Red Roses was Emily Scarratt, as the midfielder made her 100th Test start against New Zealand. Scarratt was back in her favoured outside centre role, with the Loughborough Lightning legend impressing with her pace-fulled line breaks, and routinely got the better of Sylvia Brunt and Ruahei Demant. Scarratt was defensivly excellent against the two talented midfielders, with her open field tracking and tackling showcased against the fierce tempo of the Black Ferns attack.
Scarratt had been previously moved to inside centre in the England camp, with John Mitchell opting for Scarratt to focus on power, with question marks raised around her top speed. However, ‘Scaz’ reportedly recorded a personal best sprint time in the Red Roses camp in the lead up to the France Test last week, which put her back in the conversation for the 13 shirt, in the absence of Leicester Tigers and Olympic Sevens flyer Meg Jones.
2. Difficult day off the boot for Holly Aitchison
Aitchison began the match with some difficulty from a kicking perspective. The halfback had her kicks charged down upon repeated occasions, and also failed to make touch as England tried to move down-field with a penalty. Aitchison put too much on a cross-field kick to Jess Breach, which would have been a walk in try with the line in her wake.
Aitchison was also challenged with the conversions, with two initial misses off the tee. The first tries were scored over in the corner, with the tough angles getting the better of the halfback. Despite the issues off the boot, Aitchison impressed with her distribution around the park, as she sent her powerful forwards on cascading lines into the Black Ferns defence.
3. Georgia Brock is immediately involved for her England debut
The Allianz Stadium was sent into a frenzy with 10 minutes remaining, as England head coach John Mitchell decided to unleash his not so secret weapon. Gloucester-Hartpury back-row Georgia Brock has been making waves in the West Country, and earned herself a Test match debut on the grandest of stages. Despite the magnitude of facing New Zealand in front of over 40,000 fans, Brock was calm as you like when she ran off the bench.
Immediately involved in the physicality of the match, Brock picked up from where her captain Marlie Packer left off in her substitution. Vocal around the park despite seconds into her England career, Brock called the shots and landed a good few legal hits of her own. The back row battler impressed upon her first effort for England, and looks like a new fan favourite if the reaction in South West London is anything to go by.
4. Maddie Feaunati hits hard against former teammates before early exit
Having spent such a long time playing rugby in New Zealand, it was understandably a significant day for England back-row Maddie Feaunati. Following up on her first England start last weekend against France, Feaunati once again started from the off and went flying into tackles against an assortment of players that she grew up sharing the pitch with.
The former Wellington and Hurricanes star made the move back to the Northern Hemisphere in 2023, when she joined Exeter Chiefs. Feaunati did not have the perfect end to her Black Ferns reunion, as she sustained a significant case of calf cramp for an early exit from the Allianz.
5. England and the Black Ferns set for a re-match in three weeks time
England and New Zealand will have three weeks to prepare for their next clash, with the two sides set to come together in British Colombia, Canada. Their next match takes place in round two of WXV1, which sees the six best teams in the women’s game band together in North America.
England are set to take on the Black Ferns, with that game sandwiched between battles against Canada and the United States. New Zealand are out to take on the best that the Women’s Six Nations has to offer, as they bring the fight to France, England and Ireland on the far side of the Atlantic.