Black Ferns 62
Japan 19
A World Cup quarter-final berth secured, getting all 32 players in the squad some time on the field through two tests and, for good measure, a record for Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.
The Black Ferns have ticked off a few milestones early in their World Cup campaign, with a 62-19 win over Japan this morning ensuring they move on to the knockout stages.
The side ran in 10 tries to three – including one that saw winger Woodman-Wickliffe become the first New Zealander to score 50 test tries – and held a 33-point lead before making mass changes again at or just after halftime.
It was a performance that built on their opening round win over Spain, with a bit more flow in the attack and some strong finishing. Young stars Braxton Sorensen-McGee and Jorja Miller again impressed with five tries between them; Sorensen-McGee being named player of the match for her input from fullback.
But it was a performance that again had some concerns, and they again finished the game at a numbers disadvantage; this time after lock Laura Bayfield was sent off due to receiving two yellow cards in the second stanza.
The Black Ferns started slow in both halves. As was the case last week, they were held out in the opening minutes by some good defence, before handling errors, poor discipline and problems at the lineout held them back in the following 10 minutes.
Inside that stretch of the match, they had made four handling errors and had lost two lineouts, and Japan were able to open the scoring just four minutes into the contest after back-to-back penalties helped them up their field.
The world’s No 11-ranked side opened the scoring in both halves, as their Kiwi counterparts walked out of the blocks. When they got into stride, the Black Ferns were a force, but getting into that rhythm and maintaining it continues to be a work in progress.
Their scoring started through Woodman-Wickliffe, who struck with her first opportunity in space. Fending off one defence before shimmying around another, the 34-year-old bagged her 50th try from 30 tests to add another accolade to her impressive resume.
That seemed to get the side on a roll as flanker Miller was put into space by a slick move from the lineout to score the first of her two tries in the 16th minute. Miller has been strong in the tournament so far, now with four tries in two tests, and she took the switch to blindside in stride.
Japan continued to have the odd moment of success in the half, but it was largely one-way traffic until halftime from that point.
Tries to Katelyn Vahaakolo, Sorensen-McGee, Kennedy Tukuafu and Risaleaana Pouri-Lane saw the Black Ferns run into the break with a 38-5 lead as the Kiwi side made their opportunities count.
Japan largely dominated the play for the 10 minutes after the break, with Moe Tsukui scoring from close range seven minutes into the half after Bayfield had been yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on, but Sorensen-McGee hit back soon after.
A stalemate then ensued with some clunky play, before Japan added a penalty try in the 67th minute – Bayfield again the guilty party and shown her second yellow card for collapsing a maul. But some individual brilliance from Miller, then more from Sorensen-McGee saw the Black Ferns push the scoreline out further, before Renee Holmes got amongst the action, too.
Another bonus-point win sees the Black Ferns stay at the top of the Pool C standings, with their test against Ireland next week now to decide seedings for the knockout stages after the Green Wave beat Spain earlier in the day.
Black Ferns 62 (Braxton Sorensen-McGee 3, Jorja Miller 2, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, Katelyn Vahaakolo, Kennedy Tukuafu, Risaleaana Pouri-Lane, Renee Holmes tries; Braxton Sorensen-McGee 4 cons, Renee Holmes 2 cons)
Japan 19 (Penalty try, Sakurako Hatada, Moe Tsukui tries; Ayasa Otsuka con)
HT: 38-5