Black Ferns player ratings vs France in Hamilton | WXV Global Series 2026

It took just 67 seconds for New Zealand to get their first five points on the board on a sunny afternoon in Hamilton, and those 67 seconds were as close as France would get in the opening Test of this three-game series.

It was 43-0 by halftime, and 81-12 by full-time. The Kiwis have set an impressive marker with Tests in Whangarei and Christchurch remaining in the series. Head coach Whitney Hansen says the challenge is now to repeat the effort against a France side who will be desperate to at least earn a more respectable scoreline in game 2.

Here’s how the Kiwis rated.

1. Chryss Viliko – 8
Viliko’s bone-shattering hit in the 12th minute helped set a physical tone for the Black Ferns’ defence. The scrum wasn’t always moving in New Zealand’s direction, but it set the platform more often than not and put France under pressure on a few of their put-ins.

2. Georgia Ponsonby – 8
In a performance so complete, the Black Ferns captain deserves credit for clearly leading an on-point week of preparation. The lineout only wobbled momentarily, and the game only required her to make four tackles and seven carries.

3. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu – 9
Mahutariki-Fakalelu is becoming one of the stars of this Black Ferns team, and one of the most dominant props on the planet. Her defence in Hamilton was superbly powerful, seeing her end the game with four dominant tackles, the most of anyone in the Test. On attack, her combination of deft touches at the head of the pod and rumbling crash balls contributed handsomely to the front-foot ball New Zealand enjoyed throughout the afternoon.

4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos – 8
The engine room did its job in Hamilton, with Roos doing the unglamorous work to keep the Kiwi attack purring. The lineout operated at 91 per cent on the afternoon, while France’s lineout operated at just 50 per cent. She made just four tackles but one of them was dominant.

5. Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu – 7
Vaipulu stayed out of penalty trouble and lent her shoulder to the breakdown to secure possession. She made just two tackles as her side enjoyed 62 per cent possession. A quiet but productive showing from the second-row forward.

6. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u – 8
Mikaele-Tu’u’s composure in such a young team was felt at various moments in Hamilton. The 24-year-old knew when to inject her physicality and how to buy her team time when tidying up loose balls. It was a quieter game with the ball in hand for the bruising blindside flanker, but her team was better for the work she got through around the ruck and her presence on the park.

7. Elinor-Plum King – 8
The rookie openside flanker still managed to lead her team in tackles despite the remarkably low demand for defensive work in the Test. She made 25 metres on her few carries and chipped in with a try assist.

8. Kaipo Olsen-Baker – 9
As usual, Olsen-Baker was a cheat code for front-foot ball throughout 80 minutes of superb rugby in Hamilton. She had nearly twice as many carries in the first half as anyone else on the park, and led the Test in metres carried as a result, despite her backline making 14 first-half linebreaks.

9. Maia Joseph – 8.5
One of the 24-year-old’s best performances in her young Black Ferns career. While some box kicks left a little to be desired, her passes were crisp and facilitated a pace of game that left France in the dust. Her two tries were just reward for her support play and started the game as well as Kiwi fans could have hoped.

10. Hannah King – 9
King is mastering her craft as a triple-threat playmaker. Her vision to find space off the boot was exceptional in Hamilton, even chasing down her own chip-and-chase in the lead-up to her team’s second try. Meanwhile, in swinging attack strikes, she stayed composed at the line and made good decisions that contributed to linebreaks.

11. Ayesha Leti-I’iga – 8
The powerful winger produced four linebreaks in Hamilton, chased kicks hard and snagged herself two tries in the process. It was rapid play, and the finishers provided the clinical edge that made this result so dramatic.

12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt – 8
Brunt provided her usual bruising ball carries, without being as central to New Zealand’s success as we’re used to seeing. But when your team is scoring more than a point per minute, there’s no need to impose yourself on the game any more than you do with the opportunities that come your way.

13. Amy Du Plessis – 8
Du Plessis’ 23rd-minute try saw her finish the break she herself started with a cross-field kick to Ayesha Leti-I’iga. While the kick didn’t put her winger on the front foot, it still exploited the open space, thanks to the Black Ferns’ work rate to pop up in support. She was back over the line four minutes later thanks to more support play. Her rush defence had some great moments, even if she did undermine one of them with a high tackle.

14. Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a – 8
October 17, 2026 will be remembered as the day Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a introduced herself to the rugby world. In just her fourth Test and second start for the Black Ferns, the 20-year-old bagged herself four tries. The pace and power on display evoked memories of some of the great wingers New Zealand has produced. The future is bright for Saturday’s hometown hero.

15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee – 7
In a game packed full of superstar performances for New Zealand, the country’s young phenom had some shaky moments. She started the Test with a wayward pass, and it wasn’t her only one of the day, as she operated mainly as a distributor before finding herself on the wing at times later in the Test. Sorensen-McGee found her rhythm off the tee later in the game after missing five of her first nine attempts. That said, the fullback still managed to beat as many tackles as anyone with a handful of offloads and a strong bump off down the right edge in the 61st minute.

Reserves – 7.5
There were some wobbles as the bench entered the game for New Zealand, with France taking advantage to score their first points of the game in the 58th minute. The reserves found their feet, though, with Tara Turner’s distribution starring in Ruahei Demant’s 65th-minute try and Layla Sae introducing herself to the French defence soon after.