England defeated New Zealand in the final play of the match, during extra time, thanks to a try by Zoe Harrison from an interception. The New Zealanders attempted to attack from deep, but that move gifted England the winning points.
59,871 spectators watched the match at Allianz Stadium. New Zealand led 12-7 at half-time, and Braxton Sorensen-McGee levelled the score at 19-19 with a conversion less than ten minutes from the end. However, Harrison secured the victory for the hosts in the final play.
"We must not allow a repeat of what happened against Canada last week. A draw was not enough, so we had to take the points in some way," Harrison told BBC Radio 5 Live. She added that this victory was significant for her, as it marked a return to the level of the 2022 World Cup final. "To beat them on home soil was fantastic, and the fact that the match was so tight is great for women's rugby."
New Zealand are the world's second-ranked side and the last team to defeat the Red Roses in the 2022 World Cup final. Under new head coach Whitney Hansen, the Black Ferns had been unbeaten, but this was their fourth consecutive defeat by England. Hansen said after the match that they did not want a draw. "After watching last week, we knew we would fight to the death, so I like that she made that pass," she said. She also highlighted that for their team, regardless of the outcome, the performance was the most important thing.
England head coach John Mitchell said it was important to put things in context, as the Red Roses do not often play against New Zealand and Canada. "It is important to learn how to win tight test matches," he said. He also revealed that the message at half-time was that the match would turn around and that they would gain possession and attack. "People are beginning to understand the context we are in. Even if we had lost, we would have been somewhere around there," he added, assessing that New Zealand are in a strong position for the series against the British and Irish Lions and are moving in the right direction towards the 2027 World Cup.
England played without a number of key players, including captain Zoe Stratford, who won the World Cup, with defensive legend Shaun Edwards assisting the defence. This was only the third match of the season for Mitchell's players, who had already faced the world's second and third-ranked teams. England now travel to Canada to complete a series of three test matches against last year's World Cup finalists. Last week, Canada halted England's record streak of 39 victories with a 26-26 draw at Sandy Park.
Red Roses captain Meg Jones said that the play is getting better and that they are trying to widen that gap further. "We know there will be tight matches and we will fight as hard as we can," she said, adding after the match: "This is what it means to live."
New Zealand were once the undisputed best team in the world, but last year failed to reach the World Cup final. The new WXV Global Series format, which brings together the 12 best national teams in the world, runs from 2026 to 2028 and is designed to ensure more competitive matches before the 2029 World Cup. Next year, the British and Irish Lions women's team will tour New Zealand for the first time, with matches against Toronto and Ottawa scheduled for October, while the series is level at 1-1.
