Black Ferns vs Wallaroos takes: Another scary statement, Levi impresses

The Black Ferns have run away with a dominant 66-19 win over the Wallaroos in Auckland, with the hosts running in 10 tries at Go Media Stadium. Braxton Sorensen-McGee started the point-scoring avalanche in the third minute, with the Black Ferns leading 26-0 at one stage.

Desiree Miller scored in the final play of the first half, but the New Zealanders would go on to add another 33 unanswered points to their tally in the second term. It was a masterclass from start to finish for the Black Ferns, who will soon jet off to South Africa.

In the 100^th Test in Wallaroos history, HSBC SVNS Series star Maddison Levi enjoyed a promising debut after playing 30 minutes off the bench. Levi secured an equal game-high two turnovers, including one mere seconds after coming on.

Whitney Hanson’s Black Ferns keep winning big

New Zealand Rugby announced on December 18 that Whitney Hansen had been appointed the new Black Ferns Head Coach. It’s the start of a new era for the side, who were looking to build once more after some semi-final heartbreak at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.

The Black Ferns are the most successful team in Rugby World Cup history, winning their sixth title at their home event in 2022. But the New Zealanders’ time as world champions came to an end with a semi-final defeat to Canada on September 19.

It’s been almost 11 months since that agonising 34-19 loss in Bristol, and the Black Ferns almost look like a completely new side. The Black Ferns took out the Pacific Four Series with three utterly dominant performances, and once again won big against the Wallaroos in Auckland.

New Zealand kicked off the Hansen era with a clinical 48-15 triumph over the USA in Sacramento, before avenging last year’s World Cup heartbreak 36-14 against Canada. The Aussies suffered a 35-point loss on Anzac Day, but the Black Ferns’ latest performance was their best of the lot.

The Black Ferns fell just one point shy of their record for most scored in a single O’Reilly Cup Test. It was a masterclass from start to finish, with Braxton Sorensen-McGee striking first on what ended up being a history-making night for the fullback.

Sorensen-McGee touched down for the first of New Zealand’s 10 tries. But if you look beyond the scoreboard, other stats really show just how emphatic this performance was, having dominated the territory battle for most of the match.

Hansen is now 4-0 as Black Ferns Head Coach, with a clash with the Springbok Women up next in Johannesburg, before the WXV Global Series. It’s less than 40 days until the Black Ferns face the world champion Red Roses too, which should be an absolute treat for rugby fans.

Maddison Levi looks right at home in Test rugby

Maddison Levi may have only played 30 minutes off the bench, but the debutant was absolutely one of the best on the park for the Wallaroos. The 2024 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year made an immediate impact after coming on, which set the tone for what was to come.

Australia Sevens and Wallaroos playmaker Tia Hinds took the restart in the 51^st minute, with Levi waiting to chase after being brought into the contest. Levi made a front-on tackle off the restart, before immediately jumping up to pilfer the ball.

There genuinely seemed to be a spark of energy and almost confidence about the Wallaroos with Levi on the field. The 24-year-old made a few decent stops on the defensive side of the ball, and won another pilfer penalty with 15 minutes left in the match.

Levi got the ball a couple of times, but never in space, with the Black Ferns doing well the SVNS superstar down. New Zealand defenders forced a knock-on from Levi’s first carry, and bundled the winger into touch with her second run soon after.

But still, before playing even a minute of Super Rugby Women’s, Levi was able to stand out as a difference-maker. With more game time and opportunity, Levi could prove herself an essential part of this Wallaroos squad ahead of a home Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2029.

Big-name players step up for the Black Ferns

Kaipo Olsen-Baker was highlighted by the Stan Sport panel at half-time, with the No. 8 standing out during a dominant opening 40 for the Black Ferns. The backrower helped keep the hosts on the front foot with physical carries, charging at the Wallaroos defence more than 10 times.

Olsen-Baker finished the match with a game-high 16 carries for almost 60 metres, while also making the second-most tackles out of any Black Fern. In a massive 80-minute shift, the 24-year-old stepped up as one of the best on ground.

In the backs, the clear standout was Amy du Plessis at outside centre, although it’s not like any of the Black Ferns performed badly.  It’s just du Plessis was able to constantly get over the gain line, drawing in defenders and getting offloads off multiple times.

The midfielder was second only to Olsen-Baker for total carries, but topped the charts with 79 carry metres. It’s actually quite remarkable that in a 10-try Black Ferns performance, two of the standouts didn’t get on the scoresheet themselves.

But both Olsen-Baker and du Plessis contributed significantly to other scores, with the likes of Ayesha Leti-I’iga and Liana Mikaele-Tu’u benefiting with five-pointers. Braxton Sorensen-McGee and Maia Joseph were also very good, and so too was lock Maama Mo’onia Vaipulu.

Elinor-Plum King, Waiaria Ellis impress

Elinor-Plum King scored three tries against the Black Ferns XV last week, and was rewarded with a spot in the Black Ferns’ starting side to face the Wallaroos. King was one of three debutants named in the New Zealand side for the O’Reilly Cup showdown.

King played the full 80 minutes, finishing equal first with Maddison Levi for turnovers won with two, and completed a team-high 16 stops in defence. The 22-year-old was quite good, enjoying a promising first hit-out for the Black Ferns.

But the Black Ferns debutant wasn’t the only player who made the most of an opportunity to play minutes at Test level, with Wallaroos utility Waiaria Ellis slotting into the starting side at fly-half for the first time.

Ellis spoke with reporters this week about the upcoming challenge of facing one of the all-time greats in Ruahei Demant, in what loomed as an exciting positional battle. Demant was replaced at half-time, but Ellis continued to steer the Wallaroos around the park as a game-driver.

The 18-year-old created something special from nothing during the second half, throwing a dummy pass and then racing away to score a superb try. There are plenty of things the Wallaroo can take out of the Test, having linked up well with Tia Hinds in the halves.