A courageous defensive performance led the Kiwi Ferns to their first victory over Australia in seven years on Saturday afternoon, as they edged past the world champions 12-6 in Melbourne.
With seven minutes to play in a match which saw them spend long periods camped on their own line and enjoy few opportunities in attacking territory, Leianne Tufuga scored her first try at Test level to end New Zealand's seven-game winless streak against their trans-Tasman neighbours.
From there the Kiwi Ferns did what they had done for the entire game and toughed it out off the ball, denying Australia any right of reply at AAMI Park in the second game of their two-match Pacific Championships series, the first of which saw the Jillaroos run out 16-10 winners.
Leianne Tufuga Try
From the opening exchanges the Jillaroos dominated possession and looked the superior team on the ball, but outside of Jaime Chapman's opener on 10 minutes, they couldn't break down the stoic Kiwi defence.
Despite dominating all of the key stat categories through the opening 35 minutes, Australia found themselves heading to the sheds tied at 6-6, with a later-ruled-out claim from Tamika Upton their only action after Chapman's try out wide.
Jaime Chapman Try
Dominant as they were, Brad Donald's side continuously shot themselves in the foot with errors which saw them complete under 40 percent of their first-half sets.
It was a one-on-one strip from Tiana Davison, who had just entered the field from the bench, which gave the Kiwi Ferns possession to send Mele Hufanga over in the final minute of the half.
Another Jillaroos turnover looked to have led to a go-ahead try for New Zealand, but Apii Nicholls' effort was ruled out when the Bunker found obstruction in the lead up.
Biddle welcomes Whitfeld to international footy
As Australia continued to boss time on the ball, New Zealand continued to come up with big plays in defence and turn their rivals away, with the best of them coming 16 minutes from full-time when they rallied to deny Jakiya Whitfeld a try on debut.
Then with seven to play they finally got their breakthrough at the other end, spreading wide for Tufuga to score, with McGregor nailing the sideline conversion.
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Match Snapshot
- It was New Zealand's first win over Australia in the women's game in seven years and ended a seven-game winless streak for them against the Jillaroos.
- It was Australia's first loss in 18 Tests.
- Raecene McGregor underwent a HIA midway through the second half which she passed, returning for the final 14 minutes.
McGregor off the post!
- Kezie Apps went on report for contacting Mele Hufanga's head with her shoulder in the 57th minute, with the tackle resulting in Hufana leaving the field for a HIA.
- Olivia Kernick was placed on report for a Dangerous Tackle in the 61st minute.
- Georgia Hale topped both the tackle count (44) and run metre count (134) for New Zealand.
- Australia completed at just 53 percent while New Zealand finished 70 percent of their 37 sets.
- The Jillaroos registered 14 offloads to New Zealand's one.
- The match marked Jillaroos co-captain Kezie Apps' 15th Test and the international debut for winger Jakiya Whitfeld and hooker Emma Manzelman.
Play of the Game
As the 2023 NRLW season and the Pacific Championships have proven, there is no more dangerous play in women's rugby league right now than Mele Hufanga with a one-on-one matchup near the line. The Broncos star was always going to score after Tyla Nathan-Wong dropped her under just before the break, with Tamika Upton no chance of stopping the powerhouse centre.
Mele Hufanga Try
What They Said
"We played like strangers with the ball but showed up for each other defensively. There is a bit to take out of the effort that the girls put in in terms of their defence. Hats off to the Ferns, they just kept showing up and kept denying us at the last minute. It's a tough one [to take]." – Jillaroos coach Brad Donald
Jillaroos: Week 3
"We didn't get things right, but we just kept turning up. Rugby league is a funny game, you can have all the possession and everything else [go against you], but if you are willing to work hard enough then things will turn for you. We are really proud of the effort and it's something we can build on for the future." – Kiwi Ferns coach Ricky Henry
Kiwi Ferns: Week 3