women
wxv
One moment separated the Black Fern and England at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday morning, when Amy Du’Plessis’ pass found Zoe Harrison instead of her teammate in black.
The two best teams in the world battled it out for 80 minutes in front of 59,000 fans in London, but it wasn’t enough for the Kiwis as John Mitchell’s side extended their unbeaten run to 40 matches.
Whitney Hansen’s Black Ferns led 12-7 at half-time, thanks to fives from Du Plessis and Ayesha Leti-I’ig, while Claudia Moloney-MacDonald opened the scoring for the home side in the 14th minute.
The ever-present Ellie Kildunne leveled shortly after half-time, before Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu’s booking changed the complexion in the second 40 minutes.
Reflecting on the close Test match, Hansen told reporters in London that she was proud of her team’s effort, mentality and performance throughout the 80 minutes.
“Yeah, I thought, to be really honest, the biggest feeling I’m feeling at the moment is pride. We’re an incredible group of people, management and athletes, who work really hard and are at the beginning of what Black Ferns rugby looks like,” Hansen said.
“We’ve always said that this week is going to be a real test for us. It’s going to draw a line in the sand. It’s going to give us some things and show us how special we are, how we’re built differently.”
“Those who watched the game today saw that it was exciting. People can’t stay with us when we do that, but it will also be a Test that will tell us where we need to improve and it’s an exciting space for those learnings.”
The 39-year-old coach admitted her side were “chasing performance”, especially by the standards of women’s rugby.
“Everybody wants to win. I don’t think anybody does it because they like to lose, but for us it’s a pursuit of performance. We know we have greatness in us. We’re chasing it, and we’re going to continue to be humble and hungry along the way.”
“What an opportunity to talk about guts. We didn’t want to go out to draw; we wanted to go out to perform to win. So, look, I think you had to back up that guts from Amy du Plessis; she saw the space and sent the pass and didn’t back off at that point, but if she did, that’s another story, another headline.
“I’m pleased with how bravely we played. I think there will still be things we’ll go back and look at in the moments we haven’t finished.
“We have to be able to do that (be clinical) 90 percent of the time or more. So we’ll look at that, and I think look at where our gains are and where we can still be better.”
Hansen was full of praise for Black Ferns standout right winger Mererangi Paul, who impressed during the WXV competition, highlighted by her sharp finish to keep the Kiwis in the contest with ten minutes to play.
“Yeah, look, one of the many standouts for us, right? She’s got phenomenal footwork,” Hansen said.
“She’s pretty special on the edge defensively, and I think we’re just seeing her go from strength to strength.”
The Black Ferns will return home to take the fight France in a three-Test series to close out the 2026 WXV Global Series.
