Black Ferns thrash Scotland to secure top seed at World Cup

New Zealand have secured top seeding for the Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-finals with an emphatic bonus-point 57-0 win over Scotland in Whangarei.

The Black Ferns already had sealed a last-eight spot with earlier group wins over Australia and Wales and made themselves the top-ranked team in the playoffs with Saturday’s win by nine tries to nil.

New Zealand set out to play high octane rugby from the start and produced their best performance of the tournament by far, an almost flawless display of 15-woman rugby. Though fielding a line-up with several changes from the match against Wales, they clicked from the outset and proved too much for the Scotland defence who faced wave after wave of attacks.

The host nation had their first try in less than two minutes and added three more to lead 24-0 after only 18. Veteran winger Renee Wickliffe, playing at her fourth World Cup, had a double before the break including a brilliant solo try in which she swerved around the Scotland fullback.

By halftime, the Kiwis had carried for almost 600 meters and Scotland for fewer than 30. While their backplay shone, New Zealand also fielded a much-improved scrum ahead of the playoffs.

The Black Ferns took 13 minutes to score the first try of the second half and when they did, through Maia Roos, they passed 50 points for the second time in the group stage. Fullback Renee Holmes made the game symmetrical with the last try after scoring the first.

In the final game of the day, France will take on Fiji in Group C, currently led by the unbeaten England after two matches.