Wallaroos vs Black Ferns: Wallaroos close the gap, teenager’s dream debut

NEWCASTLE: New Zealand have retained the Laurie O’Reilly Cup with a hard-fought 38-12 win over Australia at Newcastle’s McDonald Jones Stadium. Teenager Braxton Sorensen-McGee debuted for the Black Ferns, who were strong favourites coming into the match.

The Black Ferns raced out to a 26-nil lead, with Sorensen-McGee scoring one of the team’s four tries up until that point, but the Wallaroos refused to throw in the towel. Eva Karpani and Ashley Marsters scored a try each as fans dared to dream of an incredible comeback.

But the Wallaroos’ hopes of winning this match were practically put to rest when Black Ferns inside centre Sylvia Brunt scored with less than 15 minutes to play. While Hannah King missed the conversion, the 19-point lead seemed to be a mountain too tall to climb.

Here are some takeaways.

Teenage whiz enjoys dream debut for Black Ferns

Braxton Sorensen-McGee is officially a Black Fern.

At just 18 years of age, Sorensen-McGee became a fan favourite during Super Rugby Aupiki with the Blues, standing out alongside the likes of Ruahei Demant and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe during the team’s run to that title and the Champions Final crown as well.

When the Black Ferns unveiled their team to take on the Wallaroos, the selection of the young fullback was absolutely the biggest talking point. It was a decision many expected and even hoped for in the lead-up to the Rugby World Cup.

After signing the national anthem and doing the haka, the match got underway at the Newcastle venue, but the debutant wasn’t’ able to have an impact for quite some time. Sorensen-McGee only had one carry for three metres during the first 29 minutes.

Sorensen-McGee struggled to make an impact, but then out of nowhere, the fullback left fans in awe with a breathtaking somersault finish in the corner. On debut, Sorensen-McGee beat a tackle attempt from Desiree Miller to score in the corner.

While some may argue it was a knock-on, that effort will go down in history as a try on debut for one of the brightest up-and-coming prospects in New Zealand Rugby. Sorensen-McGee had the last laugh too, scoring the final try of the Test.

The teenager was named Player of the Match.

Wallaroos close the gap on Black Ferns

Rugby is a results-driven business.

Fans ride the highs and lows along with their rugby heroes, and it can sometimes be difficult to appreciate the progress a team has made after a difficult day in the office. Australia suffered another one-sided loss to New Zealand, but truly, it’s not all doom and gloom.

The Wallaroos suffered a comprehensive 50-nil loss to the Black Ferns a couple of years ago, were beaten 67-19 at Albany’s North Harbour Stadium last May, and were dominated 62-nil the following month at Brisbane’s Ballymore Stadium.

New Zealand had won all 27 previous Tests between the two teams.

While that record has now extended to 28, there’s a reason to celebrate about the direction this team is heading in. Australia were down 7-nil after 21 minutes on Saturday, but it was 24-nil at the same stage of the match in Ballymore last year.

In the second half, prop Eva Karpani scored the Wallaroos’ first points against the Black Ferns on home soil since 2022. Ashley Marsters added another five-points to Australia’s score with an effort shortly after. It was only a 14-point game with 21 minutes left to play.

While the Black Ferns held on for the win, it was certainly a step forward for the Wallaroos. The likes of Tia Hinds, Charlotte Caslick and captain Siokapesi Palu stood out during a valiant performance, which was the team’s first loss last September before WXV 2.

Black Ferns can win the Rugby World Cup

The Black Ferns famously won the last Rugby World Cup, stunning England in a dramatic final at Auckland’s Eden Park three years ago. Ruby Tui, Sarah Hirini and Stacey Waaka were among the standouts as the New Zealanders made history in front of a packed house.

With the next Women’s Rugby World Cup just around the corner, New Zealand aren’t exactly the favourites to defend their crown, with tournament hosts England widely expected to go one better after the heartbreak of 2022.

England, Canada, France and even Ireland are all expected to challenge for the World Cup title, but so are New Zealand. While Saturday’s win over the Wallaroos wasn’t as dominant as many predicted, it was the first Test of the year, and there are plenty of positives to take out of it.

New Zealand will welcome some SVNS Series stars into their squad later in the Pacific Four Series, headlined by current Sevens Player of the Year Jorja Miller. Black Ferns Sevens vice-captain Risi Pouri-Lane, Kelsey Teneti and Waaka are also making the switch.

Those players will bring genuine stardom and X-factor to a Black Ferns squad that also boasts some of the world’s best 15s players. Ruahei Demant, Kaipo Olsen-Baker and Sylvia Brunt are all world-class, and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe is waiting for a chance to play.

Don’t write the Black Ferns off.

Mixed afternoon for Australia’s SVNS Series converts

When Rugby Australia announced last December that nine HSBC SVNS Series stars had chosen to join Super Rugby Women’s clubs for part of the 2025 season, there seemed to be plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the direction the Wallaroos were heading in.

The Wallaroos had gotten the better of Wales, South Africa and Scotland during WXV 2 towards the end of 2024, as they claimed their first major trophy in team history. Australia were also SVNS Series champions at the time, having won the Grand Final event in Madrid.

Ahead of the Rugby World Cup in England, coach Jo Yapp has included three current sevens players in the Wallaroos’ plans so far. Bienne Terita was sensational against Fiji in Suva last weekend, scoring two tries before leaving the field with an unfortunate hamstring injury.

Three-time Olympian Charlotte Caslick and one-time Australia Sevens captain Tia Hinds made their Wallaroos debuts in the 43-7 win over Fijiana, named on the bench. Coach Yapp promoted the pair to the run-on side for Saturday’s Laurie O’Reilly Cup clash with the Black Ferns.

Hinds was tasked with leading the team around the park in attack as the starting fly-half, while Caslick was a surprise selection on the wing as opposed to fullback. It was a frustrating match for Caslick in particular, with the code-hopper rarely touching the ball.

Outside centre Georgina Friedrichs and Caslick were both visibly frustrated as the Aussies often opted for one-up crash balls, as opposed to spreading the ball wide through the hands. That said, that did change after the break, with Caslick making two line breaks early in the half.

On the defensive side of the ball, Caslick stood tall time and time again, which included some well-worked stops on Katelyn Vahaakolo. Even the commentators on Stan Sport were calling for Caslick to shift to fullback during the second term.

As for Hinds, the playmaker showcased composure and skill with the No. 10 jersey on, including a world-class kicking game. Whether it was at restarts or in general play, Hinds was able to make metres and regularly benefit the Wallaroos in the territory battle.