The six top performers from Pacific Four opening round

The opening round of the Pacific Four Series in stormy Sacramento saw the defending champion Black Ferns outpace a gallant USA 48-15. 2025 Rugby World Cup runners-up Canada weren’t deterred by a delay of more than an hour due to inclement weather, whitewashing Australia 24-0. This was the first time since their first meeting in Tauranga, New Zealand in 2014 that Canada had kept Australia scoreless.

Who were the performers of the week in round one of the Pacific Four Series?

Mereangi Paul (Black Ferns)
Repeated her 2024 Hamilton hat-trick with another three tries in this Test, taking her tally to 17 in 15 internationals for the Black Ferns. After an early try by Eagles prop Hope Rogers, her 26th in 60 internationals, Paul executed a chip and chase and then walked over from an overlap developed by slick handling.

Though she dropped the ball over the try line in the second half in a near repeat of her first try, her connection with fullback Renne Holmes was strong. The pair set up tries for each other as the Black Ferns won the second half 29-0.

Paul didn’t feature in the 2025 Rugby World Cup squad, but with her ability to cover fullback and wing and her clinical finishing, she is shaping as a key figure in the Black Ferns’ future. This is especially true with Katelyn Vahaakolo committed to the Black Ferns Sevens and Ruby Tui seemingly out of the picture.

Renee Holmes (Black Ferns)
With two tries, five conversions, and a penalty from eight attempts, it was a prolific outing for the Chiefs Manawa, Hurricanes Poua-bound fullback.

Holmes is the best goal kicker in New Zealand and seems to have rediscovered the attacking verve that made her a weapon in the Black Ferns 2022 Rugby World Cup triumph. Besides her two tries, she helped create one for Paul and ranked among the top five in metres gained and line-breaks. Her 23 points are the fifth-highest in a single match by a Black Fern against the USA.

Holmes appeared likely to miss the 2025 Rugby World Cup after a dip in form in 2024. However, she was selected to go to England and repaid the selectors’ faith, being named player of the match in the 42-26 win against France in the third-place playoff at Twickenham. She scored 17 points to move into third place on the all-time Black Ferns scoring list, passing Vanessa Coutts. She scored a try and kicked two 40-metre penalties.

At the 2025 Rugby World Cup, she kicked the third most conversions with 19 and scored the second most points with 64, and it seems her form has continued in this year’s Pac Four.

Hann Humphreys (USA)
The Eagles’ loose forwards Humphreys, Georgie Perris-Redding and Freda Tafuna were collectively outstanding for the USA against New Zealand, combining for 41 tackles, six turnovers, and 17 carries.

A bustling performance from Tafuna is not surprising. She had scored tries in her previous three Tests against the Black Ferns and was player of the match in the Eagles’ 31-31 draw against Australia and 60-0 win over Samoa at the 2025 Rugby World Cup. Perris-Redding was also impressive, topping the tackle count with 21.

However, it was debutant Humphreys who really punched above her weight. One of her two turnovers happened just before the Eagles’ second try. Later, she intercepted a Chryss Viliko pass that almost certainly would have led to a try. She made 13 tackles and won four lineouts.

Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu (Black Ferns)
Narrowly ahead 19-15 at halftime, the Black Ferns faced early second-half anxiety against the USA when veteran blindside Liana Mikaele-Tu’u was yellow-carded for a shoulder-to-head tackle in the 42nd minute. The Eagles immediately launched a menacing attack inside the Black Ferns 22. A massive ruck turnover from tighthead prop Mahutariki-Fakalelu defused it. A few minutes later, the Black Ferns scored a try that opened the floodgates.

After a red card to replacement prop Tanya Kalounivale, Mahutariki-Fakalelu played 77 minutes. She outmatched experienced Hope Rogers in the scrum, earning a penalty and providing a stable platform for the Black Ferns’ attack. She added eight tackles.

Mahutariki-Fakalelu debuted for the Black Ferns in a 79-14 win against the USA last year. She attended the 2025 Rugby World Cup and led the tackle count with 25 in the 46-17 win over South Africa in the quarter-final.

DaLeaka Menin (Canada)
The veteran tighthead revelled in the slush, powering her way to a 47th win in 70 Tests with an imperious 73-minute shift. Canada won multiple scrum penalties with Menin tormenting Wallaroos loosehead Brianna Hoy. In PWR, Menin has supercharged the Exeter Chiefs scrum to the second-best in the competition.

Menin also topped Canada’s carry count with 18, made 10 tackles, two turnovers, and helped the lineout win 19 out of 20 of their own throws. Canada cast an anchor in Australian territory, enjoying two-thirds of possession and territory and scoring two tries in each half to secure a four-try bonus point.

Tiarah Minns (Australia)
The lock was defiant, topping the tackle count with 18 and winning most of the Wallaroos’ lineout possession. Minns has suffered a horror injury history, missing the best part of three years with PCL, MCL, ACL and meniscus injuries. Against Canada her team was dogged but gradually wilted, conceding two yellow cards in the last quarter.