NEW ZEALAND 92 FRANCE 0
TOM SMITH, One NZ Stadium, Christchurch, Sunday

THE Kiwi Ferns annihilated France in the first rugby league international played at Christchurch’s One NZ Stadium.

They racked up a dizzying 18 tries to nil to send the Canterbury locals home happy.

Apii Nicholls scored four tries, centres Mele Hufanga and Stacey Waaka snared hat-tricks and Tenika Willison, Mackenzie Wiki and Raecene McGregor all bagged braces.

The New Zealanders struggled to overcome Fiji in their tournament opener but they hit their straps here.

The 92-point demolition continued a lopsided weekend of World Cup action in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

The New Zealanders would have threatened the century mark if Test debutant Chantay Kiria-Ratu had brought her kicking boots, converting nine of 17 attempts.

The Frenchwomen – made up almost entirely of representatives from the Catalans Dragons and Lescure Arthès clubs – couldn’t lay a glove on a hardened NZ team studded with NRLW stars.

The NZ outside backs went ballistic, with Warriors trio Nicholls, Hufanga and Waaka meshing well with Canberra’s Wiki and Newcastle’s Willison, who was making a dream international bow.

A late ankle injury to McGregor was the only negative for the hosts.

Last Sunday in Newcastle, Fiji threatened an almighty upset over the New Zealanders until a last-gasp Leianne Tufuga try secured a narrow victory for Ricky Henry’s side.

Henry rotated his squad here for the visit of the French, who opened their tournament with a 58-4 defeat to Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on Saturday.

Coach and Wigan product Alan Walsh also rang the changes for an even sterner test in Christchurch.

France couldn’t afford any mistakes against such strong opposition but Perrine Monsarrat coughed up an error inside 30 seconds.

Wiki kicked off the rout in the right corner before Nicholls backed up an Ivana Lauitiiti line break for her first.

Kiria-Ratu powered her way through off the back of a scrum then Nicholls nabbed number two thanks to a piercing McGregor kick.

McGregor grabbed one of her own in spectacular solo fashion from long range and Waaka slashed through to open her account.

Centre partner Hufanga linked up with Willison down the left edge as the Kiwi Ferns kept landing the punches.

Waaka crossed again in near-identical style and Hufanga dummied her way to the whitewash to send NZ to the sheds leading 46-0.

It was all black and white after the restart too.

Hufanga completed her hat-trick thanks to Kaiyah Atai’s build-up work and McGregor soon had a brace beneath the sticks.

Atai steamed onto a Kiria-Ratu pass to dive over from close range, then Willison had two in two minutes in the left corner.

The second was a stunner off a daring McGregor kick.

Waaka notched her hat-trick down the right edge before Wiki clinched her double outside her.

Nicholls then tallied her third and fourth tries in the final ten minutes to put the finishing touches on a daunting scoreline.

GAMESTAR: Stacey Waaka scored a hat-trick and put winger Mackenzie Wiki in for a double as the Kiwi Ferns ran riot.

GAMEBREAKER: Fullback Apii Nicholls scored her fourth try in the 70th minute to complete the 18-try-to-nil thrashing.

MATCHFACTS

NEW ZEALAND
1 Apii Nicholls
2 Tenika Willison
3 Mele Hufanga
4 Stacey Waaka
5 Mackenzie Wiki
6 Chantay Kiria-Ratu
7 Raecene McGregor
8 Alexis Tauaneai
9 Georgia Hale
10 Ivana Lauitiiti
11 Annessa Biddle
12 Kaiyah Atai
13 Brooke Anderson
Subs (all used)
14 Ashleigh Quinlan
16 Shaniece Monschau
17 Trinity Tauaneai
19 Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa

Tries: Wiki (2, 58), Nicholls (5, 11, 62, 70), Kiria-Ratu (8), McGregor (20, 41), Waaka (23, 29, 53), Hufanga (26, 33, 36), Atai (43), Willison (47, 49)
Goals: Kiria-Ratu 9/17, Nicholls 1/1

FRANCE
1 Manon Samarra
2 Margot Canal
3 Melissa Medina
4 Perle Ramazeilles
5 Haoua Kessely
6 Camille Boudaud
7 Lisa Diraison
8 Elisa Akpa
9 Fanny Ramos
10 Leïla Bessahli
11 Perrine Monsarrat
12 Stecy Bessière
16 Tallis Eranossian
Subs (all used)
13 Justine Roses
14 Noémie Samuel
15 Salomé Segala
17 Élodie Pacull

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 14-0, 20-0, 26-0, 30-0, 36-0, 40-0, 46-0; 52-0, 58-0, 64-0, 68-0, 72-0, 76-0, 80-0, 86-0, 92-0

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
New Zealand: Stacey Waaka; France: Leïla Bessahli

Penalty count: 7-3
Half-time: 46-0
Referee: Tara Jones