Black Ferns player ratings vs France | WXV Global Series 2026

The Black Ferns have closed out their season with another emphatic win over France, finishing the first year of the Whitney Hansen era with 10 wins from 11 games.

There were some superb attacking plays early, making plenty of highlights, although the execution lacked consistency and left the game in the balance until the second half. The bench then came on and finished the job, as they have done all series.

Here’s how they rated.

1. Chryss Viliko – 7
After a strong first scrum, the New Zealand pack was unable to assert itself in the match, but mostly laid a steady platform for the attack. Viliko had three missed tackles in the first half alone, and while she is typically one of the most enthusiastic carriers in the game, her opportunities were few and far between in Christchurch.

2. Georgia Ponsonby – 8
Ponsonby was a clever and effective operator around the breakdown at One New Zealand Stadium, winning an early penalty when her side were under the pump. Her instincts to shoot out of the line defensively also took the spotlight early on, and she maintained that level throughout her 63 minutes.

3. Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu – 8
The former No.8 looks as though she could pull a Dan Sheehan and step back into the backrow for a game if needed, carrying the ball with immense power in centrefield. Her 13 carries were tied for the most in the match, and she continued her habit of having the most dominant tackles, too.

4. Maiakawanakaulani Roos – 7.5
The Kiwi engine room was purring in Christchurch, tackling everything and hitting every ruck. Roos’ physicality was felt defensively, while her carries were a mixed bag. New Zealand’s lineout operated at 94 per cent, while France managed just a 62 per cent success rate.

5. Laura Bayfield – 8
Bayfield let France know early that she was New Zealand’s enforcer, and remained an industrious defender throughout her minutes. A true engine room performance from the lock, who enabled a lot of New Zealand’s best moments.

6. Mia Anderson – 7.5
Anderson made an immediate impact on her return, holding the French up over the line within the first two minutes. She didn’t avoid the attention of the referee’s whistle, but made up for her tackle off the ball with strong support work at the breakdown and a couple of strong carries.

7. Elinor-Plum King – 8
The star rookie was busy on defence early, tapping back a French offload after a linebreak to win the ball back for her side. King had a presence in the physical exchanges, and ended the match with the most tackles of any Kiwi.

8. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u – 7
Mikaele-Tu’u was one of a dozen Black Ferns guilty of turning the ball over in the Test, a theme that consistently hurt the hosts after generating plenty of go-forward with clever attacking shapes. Her carries saw her crash over the gain line without generating many post-contact metres.

9. Maia Joseph – 7
Play got away from the halfback at times in this one, slowing New Zealand’s roll in what was at times a frantically quick Test.

10. Ruahei Demant – 8
The Kiwi captain was quick to take responsibility after a poor kicking performance last week in Whangarei, and quickly brought more variety to the attack in Christchurch. Although she was guilty of an early knock-on, Demant orchestrated a brilliant trick play that got the French defence offside at a lineout and set in motion what was perhaps the best try the Kiwis have scored all year. The playmaker then put in the cross-field kick try-assist. Her running line expertise then saw her break the line and deliver a linebreak assist that led to her team’s second try.

On the flip side, there were a couple of missed tackles as the first defender off the scrum, a couple of turnovers lost and a couple of kicks that went directly to the French backfield.

11. Ayesha Leti-I’iga – 7.5
Leti-I’iga led the game in line breaks and beat more defenders than any Kiwi on the park. The winger wasn’t always given the ball with room to move, but made the right call to cut infield to find her support.

12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt – 7
Brunt’s running lines in the New Zealand midfield were a major ingredient to the team’s success in breaking the French line early in the first half. The 22-year-old wasn’t required a huge amount on defence and left the field in the 54th minute.

13. Amy Du Plessis – 8
Back after sitting out last week with a concussion, the hometown kid enjoyed a big start to the Test. Even when the running lines got a little awkward, Du Plessis had the strength to hold her feet and made two first-half linebreaks as a result. Her defensive instincts in the centre channel shut down a couple of potential French opportunities, while her 67th-minute crossfield kick set up the try to Mererangi Paul. The centre led the game in lost turnovers with three.

14. Shyrah Tuliau-Tua’a – 7
The breakout star of this series, Tuliau-Tua’a was on hand with the pace to finish New Zealand’s first try. Her second five-pointer demanded strength rather than speed, but she had enough of that, too. Her 63rd-minute yellow card for a high tackle was less of a “Shylight”, however.

15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee – 8
Class: Braxton Sorensen-McGee has it by the bucketload. And after a relatively quiet start to this series in Hamilton, the 20-year-old has looked like the best fullback on the planet over the last two weeks. While one of her tries was scrubbed in Christchurch due to a forward pass, she still accounted for more points than the French team on her own.

Reserves –
The bench were quick to announce themselves in the match, with Hannah King breaking the line immediately after entering the game, and Maddi Robinson finishing the play a few phases later.