1 month ago
New Zealand consigned nan Wallaroos to a 3rd Pacific Four woody spoon pinch their 30th consecutive triumph complete Australia’s women. The Black Ferns preserved their 32-year undefeated grounds pinch a 40-5 triumph successful Queensland connected Saturday night.
Siokapesi Palu scored Australia’s lone effort successful a typically inspirational captain’s display, but New Zealand’s six-tries-to-one drubbing followed up nan Wallaroos’ 24-0 nonaccomplishment to Canada and 33-12 nonaccomplishment to nan USA successful nan round-robin tourney featuring 4 of women’s rugby’s apical 8 sides.
The Wallaroos had been hopeful of celebrating fastener Michaela Leonard’s 46th Test pinch a win, but she eclipsed Ashley Masters to go nan most-capped Wallaroos successful an all-too-familiar loss, this clip astatine Sunshine Coast Stadium.
In Sam Needs’s last Test arsenic interim coach earlier Rugby Australia names a imperishable replacement, nan Wallaroos trailed 29-5 astatine nan break. First-half tries to Amy du Plessis and Liana Mahutariki-Fakalelu, either broadside of a double for Ayesha Leti-I’iga, did nan harm for New Zealand.
Laura Bayfield and Justine McGregor completed nan demolition occupation successful nan much competitory 2nd half from nan Wallaroos.
“Look, contempt nan score, contempt nan 30 wins successful a row, that was really a really difficult crippled retired there,” said gracious New Zealand skipper Kennedy Tukuafu. “We cognize that Australia person thing to suffer coming into this game. It’s their first crippled astatine location for nan play and we knew that they were going to travel retired precisely for illustration that pinch thing to lose.”
Preferring only to look ahead, Leonard was philosophical successful defeat. “We came pinch a scheme and we did that,” she said. “We’ve sewage to springiness in installments to New Zealand. They’re a world-class squad for a reason, and they decidedly outperformed us. But there’s glimpses of positives. We’ve done really good to put together a capacity pinch nan small clip that we’ve had. It’s conscionable up to america to spell into our Super season, play well, and past look guardant to nan World Series.”
