If anyone thought a noise at Twickenham would not reach the decibel levels of the full-time whistle of the Rugby World Cup final last year then they were firmly wrong. Zoe Harrison’s last-gasp winning try against New Zealand was met with ear-bursting cheers and brought 59,871 fans to their feet with their hands in the air. It was extra sweet for the Red Roses fly-half who had moments earlier missed a match-clinching penalty, but as the Black Ferns looked for their own victory moment, Harrison intercepted the ball to put her name up in lights.
The Red Roses ability to continue their unbeaten streak mimics how Neo dodged bullets in the blockbuster the Matrix. Last Saturday they drew against an impressive Canada team looking to avenge last year’s World Cup result and against New Zealand at a hot and humid Twickenham they pulled off a comeback win. The Black Ferns, the last team to beat England, back in 2022, held a half-time lead after a display of resilient attack, but their rivals had an extra edge in the second 40.
Maddie Feaunati was a highlight for the Red Roses. The No 8 is ever dependable for John Mitchell but at HQ she sparked attack with lengthy breaks and turned over the ball in defence. Marlie Packer, promoted from the bench just before kick-off because of an injury to Sadia Kabeya, also had a good outing before being forced off with an injury of her own.
New Zealand were in great form heading into the match, winning their past eight games, and had a positive first half but discipline let them down in the second including a yellow card for Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu. Despite losing to England for the fourth time in a row there were bright sparks which lit up this Test match, namely Amy Du Plessis. The centre was hugely physical in defence and imaginative in attack, her first-half try the best score of the game.
This was a barnstorming Test match, one that fans could not take their eyes off with the teams matching each other pound-for-pound. The New Zealand captain, Georgia Ponsonby, described the game as an “absolute tussle, the Test match of our dreams”. The tension started before kick-off as the haka was met by a response from England who stood in a V shape facing New Zealand before walking towards them to form a united line.
In the early stages it was all New Zealand but Ayesha Leti-I’iga had an early try ruled out after repeated Black Ferns attacks. Their inability to capitalise on momentum meant England were the ones to break the deadlock. A huge attack, initially inspired by a 40m break by Feaunati, ended minutes later with a great run-in by Claudia Moloney-MacDonald.
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