The Black Ferns produced a dominating display to defeat the Wallaroos 52-5 in Christchurch, with Kiwi halves Kendra Cocksedge and Ruahei Demant dominating the contest as the hosts ran away with the win.
Demant and winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga finished with a brace as the Black Ferns retained the O’Reilly Cup, remaining unbeaten against the visitors.
Piper Duck got a late try for the Wallaroos as they struggled to stop the hosts’ attack, looking to bounce back in Adelaide next week.
“All credit goes to the Kiwis, they put us to the sword and they really made us pay as we struggled to crush them and stop their possession,” Wallaroos captain Shannon Parry said.
“It’s a springboard towards the end of the year. I think we’ve come a long way in a short time and we’re looking forward to what’s to come at the end of the year.
“We’re really looking forward to getting back to Adelaide, there’s nothing quite like playing on home soil, so we’re really looking forward to getting to Adelaide Oval and playing in front of the Green and Gold Army.”
Cocksedge set up the first down after several strong flurries from the Black Ferns attacking group as the scrum-half put Ruahei Demant through a hole.
The Wallaroos looked promising as they spread the ball past Ivania Wong and Mahalia Murphy, but found no ascendancy when the set piece came as the hosts controlled the first half.
Lock Joanah Ngan-Woo crossed the line eight minutes later before center Amy du Plessis stretched and dipped over the line to score her first try in international rugby.
Cocksedge then put Ayesha Leti-I’iga in a hole almost immediately from kickoff to step up her attack.
The 34-year-old’s show and go caught the Wallaroos defense taking a siesta as she dove over the line to give the Black Ferns a 26-0 lead at the break.
The hosts picked up where they left off as Ayesha Leti-I’iga sprinted in to score a stunning individual try. Demant joined as both teams rang in the substitutions, crossing for a second five-pointer.
This was followed by winger Leti-I’iga getting his second to put the result out of the question.
Replacement hooker Luka Connor capped off the dominating performance with a late try from the rolling maul to bring the half-century back up.
With time running out, a superb pass from Emily Robinson launched a final attack as the Wallaroos earned a late consolation try against Piper Duck.
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