New Zealand are up and running in their Rugby World Cup defence but their performance was marred by injuries to Kaipo Olsen-Baker, who was helped off the pitch with a worrying leg issue, and the star winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga.
It blighted a fairly positive outing for the six-time winners which saw World Cup record try-scorer Portia Woodman-Wickliffe adding to her tally after being introduced in the second half.
The Black Ferns are used to getting the job done at World Cup tournaments and the reigning champions were expected to win by a country mile in their opener against Spain, who lost 97-7 against England in a warm-up match this month. New Zealand did just that, but the scoreboard did not sufficiently tell the story of this game, where at times the Black Ferns were undone by their own mistakes.
A mildly frustrating first half was littered with handling errors and was underlined by the entire squad gathering for a huddle before they hit the changing rooms. In the second half, however, they sprinted away from Spain, who are 10 places below them in the world rankings.
A brighter note for the Black Ferns was Jorja Miller’s solid display. The sevens player of the year has won Olympic gold and Sevens World Cup silver, but she made her 15s World Cup debut on Sunday. Miller, who won her first cap for the Black Ferns in May, scored two tries and made good linebreaks, a trait that has led to fans describing her as “unplayable”.
The Black Ferns’ form had been bumpy heading into the tournament but the three-time World Cup winner Kendra Cocksedge said that, when it comes to World Cups, the New Zealand jersey gives players “super powers” and Miller exhibited just that.
The 21-year-old was the first try-scorer, running a good line, before linking up well with the 18-year-old Braxton Sorensen-McGee, who attended the last World Cup as a fan and watched from the stands for New Zealand’s semi-final against France, to score her second before player of the match Liana Mikaele-Tu’u scored. Spain’s Amàlia Argudo kicked three from the tee to round off the half.
Although the Black Ferns continued to be stifled by errors, they were the first to score in the second half through Leti-I’iga. They were in again with Georgia Ponsonby, and Leti-I’iga crossed for her second just after Olsen-Baker’s injury. The replacement winger Woodman-Wickliffe was next amongst the action and scored her 21st Rugby World Cup try, with Teresa Setefano crossing soon after, before Ines Fernandez scored for Spain at the death.
New Zealand, who are among the favourites to win the tournament alongside England and Canada, wrapped up all five points but eyes will be on their two stars to see if they will be available for the rest of the tournament. Next up for the Black Ferns are Japan, while Spain will face Ireland.
