Red Roses beat Black Ferns 26-19 to return to winning ways

England 26-19 New Zealand, Allianz Stadium

England returned to winning ways in dramatic fashion as Zoe Harrison’s converted try in added time sealed a thrilling 26-19 victory over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium.

The Red Roses had seen their 39-match winning run halted by Canada in a 26-26 draw a week earlier, but they responded strongly against the Black Ferns. The match between two of the world’s leading sides delivered a gripping contest, with the lead changing hands three times before England struck the decisive blow.

The victory extended England’s unbeaten run to 41 matches and gave them another important result against the last team to beat them, New Zealand, in the 2022 Rugby World Cup final.

Black Ferns Lead At Half-Time

New Zealand made the stronger start and gave England plenty to handle early on. Ayesha Leti-I’iga looked to have opened the scoring inside the first 10 minutes, but her try was ruled out after review for a double movement.

England then found their way into the match when Claudia Moloney-MacDonald crossed for the opening try from Ellie Kildunne’s pass.

The Black Ferns responded well. Amy du Plessis chased down her own kick after a loose clearance from Lucy Packer and scored unopposed. New Zealand then took the lead when Leti-I’iga finished after Hannah King’s clever inside pass opened up the England defence.

The visitors continued to apply pressure before the break, but a late knock-on close to the line meant they had to settle for a 12-7 half-time lead.

England Fight Back After Break

England came out strongly in the second half and regained the lead through Kildunne, who used her pace to finish out wide.

New Zealand were then reduced to 14 players when tight-head prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Marlie Packer. England made the extra player count as Jess Breach crossed in the corner to stretch the lead to 19-12.

The Black Ferns refused to fade. Once back to full strength, they built pressure and levelled the match when Mererangi Paul finished with 10 minutes remaining.

Harrison Seals Late Drama

England looked to have missed their chance when Harrison’s long-range penalty attempt dropped short of the posts.

Instead of kicking for touch and accepting the draw, New Zealand chose to run the ball from deep and chase victory. That decision opened the door for England.

Harrison read the play perfectly, intercepted a pass inside the New Zealand 22 and raced over for the match-winning try. She then added the conversion to complete a dramatic 26-19 win.