City, Rubys and NT remain undefeated after Day 2 action

NSW City remain undefeated after outpointing their state counterparts NSW Emerging Country 20-4 in the opening match of day two of the Harvey Norman Women's National Championships.

After scoring two tries in her side's win yesterday, winger Debbie Doueihi crossed for her third try of the tournament to ice City's win.

Trailing 10-0 at halftime, Emerging Country tried to fight back with Lily Croker crossing for a try early in the second half, but it wasn't enough to stop City's run.

Queensland Sapphires v Western Australia

Western Australia have claimed their first victory of the 2023 tournament with a 6-4 win against Queensland Sapphires in another tight match for the side.

After going down by two points in their opening match yesterday against New South Wales Emerging Country, a successful conversion from captain and lock Anneka Stephens proved the difference in the end.

The Sapphires scored a late try and had the chance to lock the scores at fulltime, but the difficult conversion from the left-hand sideline was waved away. 

Queensland Rubys v Ahi Ka Aotearoa

Queensland Rubys showed their strength against Ahi Ka Aotearoa with their four-tries-to-one victory, with Emma Barnes going over for a double as they recorded their second straight victory in this year's tournament. 

The Rubys showed some good attacking flair from the get-go, with winger Helen Uitualagi crossing for an early try, before Barnes scored the first of her double to help her side to a 10-0 lead at the halftime break.

The New Zealand side however displayed strong spirit throughout and were able to get some points on the board before fulltime with prop Monika Fakaosilea scoring a try. 

NSW Country v First Nations Gems

A last-minute try to winger Georgia Willey stole victory for NSW Country in a hard-fought match against First Nations Gems.

In a seesawing match, the NSW side were on the board early, with Rangitaiki Pohatu opening the scoring in just the second minute. The Gems however took almost no time to hit back via Chloe Buttigieg, but when Lara Cosgrove scored in the 15th minute, it gave the Country team a slim 8-6 lead at the break.

The second half was a tight as the first, and when the Gems took the lead through Keisha-Leigh Coolwell with five minutes left in the game, fans knew there was still plenty of left for another twist. 

That came when Willey was able to make a break down the sideline in the final minute of the match to snag their first win.

Northern Territory v South Australia

Forward Ilisapeci Bari scored a hat-trick as the Northern Territory flexed their muscle against South Australia in a 32-0 win. 

Bari crossed for the first try of the game in the opening minute of the match with a powerful run to the tryline to set the tone for the NT who remain undefeated in the tournament. 

Despite being at the end of a big scoreline, South Australia showed tenacity in defence, holding the NT up over the line and putting their body in front to try and halt their opposition, but they were not able to stem the tide against them. 

Australian Defence Force v Victoria 

The Australian Defence Force team bounced back from a tough match yesterday against Northern Territory to pick up a close 10-4 win against Victoria.

Leading 10-0 at halftime, ADF weren't able to add to their score, but did enough to stay in front to claim a maiden victory. 

Victoria winger Alesha Willcox added to her try-scoring tally however, going over in the second half for her side's only try of the match. 

Match Review: There were no charges from the match review committee following Round 2 of the Harvey Norman Women's National Championships.

The Harvey Norman Women’s National Championship is proudly supported by Major Events Gold Coast. NRL.com will live stream the event across all four days.