RWC 2025: Four takeaways from New Zealand v Spain

New Zealand have kicked off their Women’s Rugby World Cup title defence with a solid 54-8 win over Spain at York Community Stadium. Jorja Miller was a standout during the opening term, with the HSBC SVNS Series ace stealing the show with a rapid double early on.

With a loud group of Spanish fans cheering the underdogs on, the Black Ferns made a series of unforced and uncharacteristic mistakes to start the Test, including two passes that went into touch and some dropped balls.

But that’s when Miller stepped up. Miller sliced through Spain’s defensive line to score the first try of the evening before completing a double soon after. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u scored New Zealand’s only other try of the half, as they took a 21-3 lead into the break.

The boot of Renee Holmes helped keep the scoreboard ticking for the Black Ferns, who had crossed for another four tries as a team by the 62^nd minute – capped off by a popular score from the top-ranked player from RugbyPass Top 50, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.

Spain scored the last try of the Test, with Ines Antolinez Fernandez crashing over in the 81st minute. It was a fitting end to a valiant performance from Spain, who kept fighting throughout the full 80 minutes.

Jorja Miller and Antoine Dupont are in a class of their own

Jorja Miller was named the HSBC SVNS Series Women’s Player of the Year after starring for the Black Ferns Sevens during the 2024/25 season, and it hasn’t taken the New Zealander long to have a similar impact in 15s on the sport’s biggest stage.

Miller joined a star-studded group of converts making the move from the SVNS Series to 15s in order to play at the Rugby World Cup, alongside the likes of Risi Pouri-Lane, Stacey Waaka and Theresa Setefano.

After speaking with RugbyPass at the Hong Kong Sevens in April about her desire to win a Rugby World Cup – although the 21-year-old joked about not knowing whether she liked “mauls and scrums and stuff” – Miller made the switch after the SVNS World Championship in LA.

With Ilona Maher’s USA Eagles in town, Miller debuted for the Black Ferns in a 79-14 win during the Pacific Four Series in May. Miller was later picked in the team’s World Cup squad, as expected, and was simply phenomenal against Spain in the opening round of the event.

New Zealand were scrappy to start the Test, but Miller’s magic broke the deadlock in the 13^th minute – with the Kiwi throwing a dummy before beating four or five defenders. Miller completed a double soon after, courtesy of a simple Braxton Sorensen-McGee draw and pass.

By the 21^st minute, Miller had broken 11 tackles and made three line breaks.

Not bad for an openside flanker.

Miller’s seamless transition between sevens and 15s has this writer thinking about what Antoine Dupont achieved by going the other way – with France’s captain at the 2023 Rugby World Cup going on to win the SVNS Series crown and Olympic gold at the Paris Games.

Many have tried to make the switch from 15s to sevens, or in Miller’s case go the other way, but it’s proven far too difficult for most. Miller’s incredible performances at a world-class level in both sports are rare, and it should be celebrated as such.

Black Ferns should’ve scored more points in the first half

A little over 24 hours ago, the Wallaroos went into the halftime sheds with a commanding lead over Samoa. Australia had been inside their opponents’ 22 seven times, and they had scored a try on each occasion – including a hat-trick for winger Desiree Miller.

That flawless execution in the red zone set the tone for the Wallaroos, who made history with a record-breaking 73-nil win. Fast-forward to the Black Ferns’ first half against Spain, and while these two games were fairly different, the New Zealanders didn’t turn pressure into points.

The Black Ferns had almost 80 per cent of possession during the opening 40, but they only held a 21-3 lead at the break. New Zealand had entered Spain’s 22 seven times – just like the Australians against Samoa – but averaged three points per visit with three tries in the half.

Spain were also tackling at less than 80 per cent, having missed 11 attempts on Jorja Miller in the first 20 minutes alone. While the Spaniards fought valiantly and kept the scores closer than what many may have expected, the Black Ferns should’ve scored more points by the half.

The expansion of the Women’s World Cup is already a success

The crowd fell silent as Amalia Argudo lined up a shot at goal in the 35^th minute.

“Respect the kicker” was shown on the big screen at York Community Stadium, but it wasn’t the instruction that prompted the hush from the thousands in attendance – in silence, everyone agreed that something incredibly special was about to happen.

Argudo stepped towards the ball before sending it straight through the uprights, with that score sending a loud contingent of Spanish fans into yet another frenzy. Those supporters had been cheering anyway since before the Test, but this was an all-new reason to celebrate.

Spain weren’t at the last Women’s Rugby World Cup, so their fans made sure to celebrate their rugby team’s return to the showpiece event in style. It was a similar story with Samoa on Saturday, who had unbelievable support from start to finish against Australia.

This writer penned on Saturday that Manusina’s support against the Wallaroos is what the World Cup is about, and that point remains true with the Spaniards. With the tournament expanding from 12 to 16 for 2025, it’s already paying off in a memorable way.

That’s why Portia is number one

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe received an official trophy from RugbyPass ahead of the World Cup after being crowned the top-ranked women’s player in the publication’s Top 50, which you can read in full on the website HERE.

Woodman-Wickliffe came out of retirement to play for the Black Ferns at the tournament, and it didn’t take long for the player many consider to be the ‘GOAT’ in women’s rugby to make an impact on the scoreboard.

After being named on the bench for New Zealand’s World Cup opener, Woodman-Wickliffe was injected into the match in the 50^th minute. The two-time Olympic gold medallist had a couple of impressive half-breaks down the left edge and was later rewarded.

Renee Holmes made an impressive break up-field in the 62^nd minute, before the fullback passed the ball to Woodman-Wickliffe. While Woodman-Wickliffe still had plenty to do, the winger managed to place the ball down for five points – much to the delight of the crowd.

Woodman-Wickliffe played less than one half against Spain but RugbyPass’s number-one-ranked superstar still clocked in with almost 50 running metres from only a handful of opportunities. It was a brief performance, but it still makes you think: that’s why Portia is number one.