women
international women
Last weekend the Black Ferns and Red Roses clash in the third weekend WXV Global Series was a running back game.
All seven tries were scored in the back line. For England, a try each to the back three of Jess Breach, Ellie Kildunne and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and of course Zoe Harrison’s interception and conversion, at the death to seal a 26-19 win.
For New Zealand’s three tries, a brilliant solo effort from outside center Amy du Plessis saw the ball clip to winger Mererangi Paul and opposite winger Ayesha Leti-I’ig who latched on to an inside ball off the set-piece.
Ayesha Leti-I’iga, the 27-year-old Hurricanes Pou and Wellington Pride winger, made her game at the weekend. It was huge. One try, two denied in the first 20 minutes, and a break that almost included Maia Joseph, she made a statement of intent against her world champion’s opposite numbers.
After the match, she reflected on what is probably the most exciting chapter of the Red Roses Black Ferns rivalry so far: “Oh, it’s crazy. I think every time we come and play here at Twickenham, the support and the crowd get behind the women’s game and it’s so cool to see, but you also see the faces of our team and experience this new environment. It’s pretty special when we play here.
“We’re gutted by the results, but I’m pretty proud of the performance we put in there despite the result. We know there are some areas we can grow in, so we’ll do that. We’ll go back and look at that. Hopefully we’ll be better come the Lions tour.”
In the post-match conferences, head coach Whitney Hansen also emphasized how proud she was of the squad, praising the bold style of play and urging fans that it was not New Zealand as a finished product.
But in the end it was discipline that got the better of the Black Ferns in the second half, costing them their half-time lead, forcing them to fight from the back.
Yellow card for prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu for a head-to-head contact with Marlie Packer England overlap 10 minutes. The damage was clear, England scored a minute later, and in the 70th minute, the Black Ferns brought it back to fifteen on the field.
Commenting on how they coped in these conditions, Leti I’iga was clear: “We know that England, when it comes to penalties, like to go for mauls and go to the line. So we thought that no penalties do not mean executions and we tried to stay away from that. Unfortunately, we got a yellow card, but we are a team that adapts and that’s it, we all said what we said, regardless, we said it doesn’t matter. did it.”
Leti-I’iga returned to the starting XV after beating Scotland 66-14 in New Zealand. Returning from injury, Leti-I’iga seems to be relishing these opportunities against England. Her statistics do not deny it, 16 carries, 68 meters gained, five defeated defenders and two breaking the line. Plus stacking a few hits on Ellie Kildunne.
When asked what inspired this performance, she said: “I think every time we play each other, we always go up. I think I felt that way today. But coming back from injuries is something else. You have a point to prove. You’re going to be picked over other girls and I guess you just want to make them proud too. I’m a real family-oriented person, so that’s where I go when I play.”
Looking ahead to the remaining games in the WXV Global Series, the Black Ferns now head home after being on the road last month. They will play France in three home games, the first at FMG Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday 17 October, the second at Semenoff Stadium in Whangarei and the third at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday 31 October.
It will be a different game to facing the world champions at Twickenham. Having beaten France in Lyon in the opening weekend 28-14, that confidence will be in the back of their minds. But The Blues are a living beast, with style on them.
Leti-I’iga was confident going forward: “We want to dominate the collisions first to enable that KBA (Keep Ball Alive) game. And we know how France play there, I guess, what you would call it, a very loose team, and that’s their style of play. So if we can get our dominant collisions right, we’ll be able to stop them.”
