There’s been a seismic shift in women’s rugby league with New Zealand ending seven years of heartbreak to stun Australia 12-6 in a monumental upset at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
A year after they were obliterated by 50 points in the World Cup final, a new-look Kiwi Ferns side got their revenge despite spending the majority of the match defending their own line.
The shock result comes two weeks after the Jillaroos beat their rivals by six points in Townsville, with rookie Tamika Upton saving them that night with two tries.
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It looked like they were following the same script when Jaime Chapman opened the scoring after nine minutes, having grabbed a hat-trick in a losing side in the NRLW grand final.
But that’s as good as it got for the World Cup winners who were sloppy with the ball, completing just 38 per cent of their sets in the first half, with Upton denied a try by the Bunker.
The loss is a massive wakeup call for the Jillaroos who now face some big calls ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with Knights young gun Jesse Southwell banging down the door for a shot in the halves.
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Jillaroos pair Isabelle Kelly and Jess Sergis have dominated the position for the past few years, but wrecking ball Mele Hufanga has emerged as the most destructive centre in the world after another dominant display.
The Kiwi Ferns star made her NRLW debut with the Broncos this season and ended up being named in the Dally M Team of the Year, and that form hasn’t slowed down with Hufanga scoring a try in each of her three Tests this month.
It was her try on the stroke of halftime that breathed life into the contest when she came back against the grain and powered over, and it was her desperation to swoop on a loose pass that swung momentum late in the game, although she was forced off for an HIA after copping a high shot from Kezie Apps as she was brought down.
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KIWIS SOAR
They were embarrassed in last year’s World Cup final, but the future is bright for New Zealand who made bulk changes to that squad and reaped the rewards on Saturday evening.
They could have hit the lead six minutes into the second half only for the Bunker to find an obstruction to deny Apii Nicholls.
However, the classy fullback would have the final say when she threw a lovely pass to Leianne Tufuga who crashed over in the corner, with Raecene McGregor nailing the sideline conversion to put them up by six.
It was another elite performance from McGregor who nailed a 40/30 in the first half and then returned from an HIA to steer them home.
