Talking points: Process and discipline drove the Red Roses to victory against the Black Ferns

Zoe Harrison saved England’s 40-game unbeaten game streak with an intercept try at the death against New Zealand in front of 59,871 fans at Allianz Stadium.

When Harrison stepped up to take a penalty in the 80th minute from just inside the halfway in a courageous go-for-broke moment, the stadium held their breadth in anticipation.

But the kick fell short and England fans thought the game with it, until floated to the wing by New Zealand was picked off by Harrison from nowhere, this time making sure to nail the conversion on the full-time whistle 26-19.

England headed into the match from their 26-26 draw against Canada at Sandy Park, a game they came away from acting as if they hadn’t maintained they 39-game unbeaten streak from, which they had.

New Zealand conversely had been relatively unchallenged in the WXV Global Series, having run in 10 tries against Scotland at the Hive the weekend before. With England seemingly on the back-foot, the opportunity looked there for the taking.

Here are three talking points from today’s game…

Process, process, process

In last week’s 26-26 draw against Canada, a grave John Mitchell remarked in a pitch side interview, ‘We’ll get back to process’ and it seemed that England were under strict orders this week to stick to the playbook.

The Red Roses did not look comfortable with ball in hand. Their first passages of attacking play did not arrive until the 10th minute, under pressure from the start and with shaky initial exits.

When they did have the ball, all the outside backs opted to kick downfield instead of take the Black Ferns on down the outside channels. Meg Jones in space in the last 10 minutes chipped and chased straight into the hands of the Black Ferns backs, who simply called the mark. Possession and opportunity gone.

New Zealand in contrast were looking to drive tempo through Maia Joseph and Hannah King. Even their opening try, a brilliant solo effort by Amy du Plessis, who chased her own expertly placed kick in the left corner to score. Mirrored in the second half with the ball threaded over the top to Mererangi Paul to equalise the game.

But it was a moment of sheer confidence and brilliance that lead England to the win. It must surely serve as a reminder that England are at their most imperious when they have the confidence to take risks, and not shrink from them.

Player of the Match, Maddie Feaunati said to BBC Sport after the game, “We put ourselves under a lot of pressure, they put us under a lot of pressure and I think that’s the entertaining game that women’s rugby is at the moment.

“I can say that it was fun now but during, it was a proper test match and I really enjoyed.

“Physical, turned us, kicked. We know they can play when they get space. In the end we ended up taking that space away from them and got over in the end.”

Discipline, discipline, discipline

You can’t beat England without first matching their physicality, and that was route one for the Black Ferns. Claudia Moloney-MacDonald commented after the match it was evident that Shaun Edwards had joined the Red Roses.

It felt like every hit was a double-tackle, with both teams slowing ruck speed through some well-placed falling, and wrapping up hits.

A yellow card for Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu at 53 minutes for head to head contact on Marlie Packer cost them the Black Ferns the lead, with Jess Breach scoring a minute later. And it was ultimately trying to run the ball out from their own half with the ball dead, the complete opposite to Canada kicking the ball out last weekend against England that cost them the game.

But the Red Roses were not without their share of problems. Their lineout continues to malfunction with at least four lineouts lost across both halves, losing them key territory gains and try-scoring opportunities. For the first time in what feels like an age, we didn’t see England score through the maul.

Leti-I’ga Shines

Although the result didn’t go New Zealand’s way today, Ayesha Leti-I’iga was superb. Fast and physical as we’ve become accustomed to watching, she was a constant frustration for England,

The Black Ferns had seen how targeting the fringes of the ruck and contact area had worked for Canada last week in Sandy Park and looked to exploit it.

Everything you thought the pass might go to the outside down the line, the was a Black Fern, often Leti-I’iga herself, tracking inside to take the inside offload with the Red Roses defence coasting behind.

Leti-I’iga was denied the opening score in the first five minutes, an inside ball from the lineout set-piece struck off for lack of a clear release during contact on the ground. But it set intent, and from there, Leti-I’iga would run that route three times in the first half.

When Elinor-Plum King should glide through on the third time, it was a simple two-on-one that allowed Leti-I’iga to take the Black Ferns lead to 12-7, a lead they would hold through the half-time.

And she didn’t slow down in the second half either. Putting shots on Ellie Kildunne and a crucial try-saving tackle on Claudia Moloney-MacDonald’s intercept break, before sniping at the rucks again in a linebreak that also had Maia Joseph in for a try of her own.

Where now

With all three home fixtures of their WXV Global Series campaign finished, with two wins from three [the third being a draw], the Red Roses will head to their two game tour in Canada, in Toronto and Ottawa comfortably but with room to improve.

Meanwhile Whitney Hansen will go back the drawing board when the Black Ferns host France in three weeks time in the first of three games against Les Bleues.