NEW Zealand ended England’s hopes of making their first World Cup Final with an impressive 20-6 win.
England started the brighter of the two sides, Fran Goldthorp skipping over on five minutes. Tara Stanley’s conversion made it 6-0.
But back came New Zealand as the rampaging Amber Hall stormed through the England defence to offload to Mele Hufanga. Brianna Clark, however, could not convert.
It was an incredibly hard-fought first-half, but it was the Ferns that took the lead on the half-hour mark through Raecene McGregor. Again though, this time Apii Nicholls couldn’t convert as New Zealand led 8-6 at half-time.
The second-half saw more of the same as the Ferns kept the pressure on with Otesa Pule crossing just after the resumption as Clark strode through a massive gap moments later. Two Nicholls conversions made it 20-6 to New Zealand a England simply had no reply.
Despite giving their all, England just could not claw their way back into the game and when the final whistle went so did their chances of making the World Cup Final.
England
Fran Goldthorp, Caitlin Beevers, Tara-Jane Stanley, Amy Hardcastle, Leah Burke, Georgia Roche, Courtney Winfield-Hill, Shona Hoyle, Tara Jones, Olivia Wood, Vicky Molyneux, Emily Rudge (C), Jodie Cunningham. Subs (all used): Keara Bennett, Hollie-Mae Dodd, Grace Field, Vicky Whitfield
Tries: Goldthorp
Goals: Stanley 1/1
New Zealand
Apii Nicholls, Katelyn Vaha’akolo, Mele Hufanga, Page McGregor, Madison Bartlett, Abigail Roache, Raecene McGregor, Brianna Clark, Krystal Rota (C), Annetta-Claudia Nu’uauasala, Roxette Murdoch-Masila, Amber Hall, Georgia Hale. Subs (all used): Nita Maynard, Mya Hill-Moana, Otesa Pule, Charlotte Scanlan
Tries: Hufanga, R McGregor, Pule, Clark
Goals: Clark 0/1, Nicholls 2/3
Half-time: 6-8
Referee: Kasey Badger
Scoring sequence: 6-0, 6-4, 6-8, 6-14, 6-20
Venue: LNER Community Stadium, York
