FMG Stadium, Hamilton
This wasn’t the result the organisers wanted.
Inside ten minutes the Black Ferns had scored four tries. The Eagles held the first scrum well, but when the ball spun out to Katelyn Vahaakolo, she waltzed past Emily Henrich as if she was a ghost.
Two passes infield to Ruahei Demant then Amy du Plessis, and she was over by the posts. Delight for all her team and the crowd; worries about the abiding disparities in attainment.
Now it was Ruby Tui on the right wing, slipping the ball inside to Mererangi Paul for the first of a hat-trick of first-half tries for her. Tui had the third; she couldn’t decide whether to go inside or outside, so she did both, and that was 19-0.
Quick passes gave Paul the ball again with her right-winger unmarked outside her. It takes some courage not to pass to a super star, but Paul chipped, collected and was over.
Julianne Zussman played advantage as a retreating Eagles tackle went in high. Paul was waiting in splendid isolation on the far right to receive a pin-point cross-kick. Fifteen minutes, five tries.
There was the almost inevitable inaccuracy in parts of the Americans’ play. A tap back at a line- out left players scrabbling to regain possession. The outcome was Gabby Cantorna setting the ball back at the bottom of the ruck; not what No 10s are paid top-dollar for.
A quick-witted Ferns’ line-out led to a peel and thrust over the line, but Zussman had spotted a crossing. Instead, within the half-hour Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu had a try on debut.
The Eagles mounted some promising phases, but lack of close support and a tight defence kept them at bay. Lotte Clapp made a promising run and fed Bulou Mataitoga who was just brought down in time. Sadly for her, she fell awkwardly and hobbled off, not to return.
Half-time: 36-0
Whatever was said in the Eagles’ dressing-room had its effect. At the start of the second half they mounted a series of attacks that threatened the Kiwi line. The problem was that the backs were unable to string passes together and threaten the defensive line at the same time. The bulk of the work was left to the pack, where Hope Rogers (inevitably!), Georgie Perris-Redding and especially Freda Tafuna impressed. Tafuna was constantly on the ball, causing the Ferns’ defence no end of hard work.
Clapp made a burst towards the line, but, in contrast with the free run-ins the Ferns enjoyed earlier, she couldn’t get past three defenders.
Now for the first time the Eagles pounded at the line. Inexperience told once again; no-one could spot a gap close in or a stretched defence wide out. Instead it was Rogers once more leading the charge. As she was brought down just short, she tried to roll the ball forward to reach the whitewash. No go.
On 50 minures Allan Bunting sent the young prospect Hannah King on at No 10, Demant moving out one place to 12. Still it was the US with the momentum. But the moment they lost possession, the ball was at the other end of the ground and Tui was over again.
One concern for the home staff was the number of penalties they racked up as the replacements came on. It was good to see confidence flowing through the Eagles’ veins again. This time they got the score they deserved, and fittingly it was Tafuna who finished the job.
At that stage, around 72 minutes, the second-half score was 7-5, a great credit to the USA.
But the Ferns knew they had to finish with a flourish. As the opposition tired and grew less accurate, they added two more tries to pass the half-century. (And that happened just once in the whole of the 2024 Six Nations!)
Result: New Zealand 57 USA 5 Teams
USA
15 Tess Feury 14 Emily Henrich 13 Bulou Mataitoga 12 Eti Haungatu 11 Lotte Clapp 10 Gabby Cantorna 9 Olivia Ortiz 1 Hope Rogers 2 Kathryn Treder 3 Charli Jacoby 4 Hallie Taufoou 5 Erica Jarrell 6 Freda Tafuna 7 Georgie Perris-Redding 8 Rachel Johnson (captain)
16 Paige Stathopoulos 17 Alivia Leatherman 18 Catie Benson 19 Jenny Kronish 20 Tahlia Brody 21 Taina Tukuafu 22 Atumata Hingano 23 Autumn Czaplicki
New Zealand
15 Mererangi Paul 14 Ruby Tui 13 Amy du Plessis 12 Sylvia Brunt 11 Katelyn Vahaakolo 10 Ruahei Demant (co-captain) 9 *Maia Joseph 1 Kate Henwood 2 Georgia Ponsonby 3 Tanya Kanounivale 4 Maia Roos 5 *Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu 6 Liana Mikaele Tu’u 7 Kennedy Simon (co- captain) 8 Layla Sae
16 Luka Connor 17 Chryss Viliko 18 Amy Rule 19 Charmaine Smith 20 Kaipo Olsen-Baker 21 Iritana Hohaia 22 *Hannah King 23 Patricia Maliepo
*uncapped
Referee: Julianne Zussman (RC)
Afterthoughts
Bunting was building for the future; for example introducing King as back-up for Demant. One surprise selection was the return of one the old hands, Aldora Itunu. She didn’t figure in Hamilton, but there is concern about the depth of front-row talent.
There’s a big worry too about players switching to the Rugby League club Warriors next year – with a RWC in sight? So more likely after it.
The Ferns have yet to lose a Pac-4 game.
Table P W L Pts
Canada 1 1 0 5
New Zealand 1 1 0 5
Australia 0 0 0 0
USA 2 0 2 0
The Australia-Canada game to come
