Rugby World Cup: Ireland v New Zealand, Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium, 2.45pm

Key Reads

Half-time: Ireland 0 New Zealand 19

New Zealand’s first try

36 mins: TRY, Braxton Sorensen-McGee. Soft again. Credit to the 18-year-old teenage New Zealand wing who finished with aplomb, but Ireland made a couple of poor decisions in defence. A primary concern is the manner in which Ireland had their pockets picked at a breakdown and just didn’t hustle quickly enough to try and negate the turnover. Holmes added the conversion.

Ireland 0 New Zealand 19

33 mins: New Zealand forced into a couple of changes in their pack because of injury and blood. Ireland get some ball and territory after New Zealand concede a couple of penalties, but O’Brien ends up kicking the ball away. Ireland certainly need to vary their game, but it’s got to be more subtle. New Zealand so aggressive in their line speed that there is space in behind and the grubber or chip kick seem better options. Ireland fullback Stacey Flood is going off with what appears a foot injury – it looked like friendly fire, an unfortunate clash that ended up with a foot issue – and will be replaced by Nancy McGillivray.

Ireland 0 New Zealand 12

The second New Zealand try

25 mins: Ireland looked shellshocked by the intensity of their opponents and after that brief, bright opening to the game have been very much second best, in all aspects of the contest.  

Ireland 0 New Zealand 12

23 mins: Ireland are rather predictable and laboured in possession and that’s making it easy for Black Ferns in defence. Throw in some handling error and panicked passing and it’s a serious problem. Oh, and the discipline also. Too many penalties which are giving the Kiwis easy access to the Irish 22.

Ireland 0 New Zealand 12

18 mins: TRY Chryss Viliko. Ireland concede a penalty as they concede another line-break and then another, Campbell pinged for offside. New Zealand kick to the corner for a five-metre lineout. Sylvia Brunt powers over the gain-line and then prop Viliko swats aside the goal-line tacklers. Holmes had the conversion charged down.  

Ireland 0 New Zealand 12

14 mins: TRY Stacey Waaka. Ireland win a scrum free-kick as New Zealand keep driving post the engage segment of the sequence but is a short-lived respite. Ireland get their defence all wrong from a ruck and New Zealand exploit the space for centre Stacey Waaka to score a try in the corner. Renee Holmes kicked the conversion.

Ireland 0 New Zealand 7

13 mins: New Zealand’s carrying game gets them into the Ireland 22 rather easily but a knock-on at a ruck 15-metres out gives Ireland a scrum. Scott Bemand’s side are losing the collisions on the gain-line. Ireland need to be smarter in their options when in possession but also more aggressive in contact.  

Ireland 0 New Zealand 0

11 mins: Ireland are sloppy in possession offloading indiscriminately and twice the ball goes to deck. They are eventually penalised at a ruck for holding on.  

Ireland 0 New Zealand 0

8 mins: Silly from Campbell as she blocks an opponent as Amee-Leigh Costigan ran the ball back from a loose kick. New Zealand get a free pass to the halfway line. New Zealand make headway with some powerful carries but are then penalised for sealing off at a ruck on the outskirts of the Irish 22

Ireland 0 New Zealand 0

5 mins: Ireland get a five-metre scrum from which Higgins makes a powerful surge for the line but from the ruck, Brittany Hogan runs into scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly’s pass and knocks on.

Ireland 0 New Zealand 0

2 mins: Superb nine phase sequence from Ireland after a New Zealand clearance forces a penalty. Ireland go to the corner. Great break from Aoife Dalton in there two. Ireland work a pop move from the lineout to the front but Ruth Campbell is bundled into touch. Ireland turn over the Kiwi throw.

Ireland 0 New Zealand 0

We’re underway in Brighton.

Only six of the New Zealand team started the defeat to Ireland in Canada last November.

Two teams staring at each other. No one moving. Until Ireland centre Eve Higgins decided she has had enough of the posturing.

Time for the Haka.

Ireland players fairly belted out the anthem. Huge support in Brighton.

Ireland play in white. Nice jersey. It’s a black and white game so to speak.

Time for the anthems

The Ireland squad has many fans

There is a little under 15 minutes to kickoff in Brighton

Some stats.

Ireland and New Zealand’s only previous encounter in the Rugby World Cup came in 2014, a pool match which Ireland memorably won 17-14 at Marcoussis in France. The result ended a 20-game winning streak for the Black Ferns, and ultimately knocked them out of the main knockout phase

– New Zealand have won 22 of their 23 pool games at the Rugby World Cup (L1), their only defeat in that spell coming against Ireland in 2014. The Black Ferns have won each of their nine such outings since then, all by margins of 20+ points

– Ireland have won nine of their last 10 pool matches at the Rugby World Cup (L1), including both fixtures this year, and will be aiming to win all their pool games at an edition of the tournament for just the second time after 2014

– New Zealand have recorded more carry metres (2811), line breaks (40), and defenders beaten (103) than any other team at this year’s Rugby World Cup, with also making the most passes (471)

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand said today’s game: “In terms of the result, potentially (a free hit), but remember we can be in control of who we think we’ll play next. Obviously by winning a group, you’re more in control of fixtures and games that come out in the knockout stages. We’ve picked strong. New Zealand have picked strong.

“The occasion is going to get the game it deserves. I’ve said to the group, I think the World Cup is ready for this game. We’ll go at them. I’m sure they’ll come at us. We’ll both have moments when we’re on top and it’s how you capitalise on scoring points when you get those opportunities. I’m sure it’s going to be one of those games that goes to the wire.

“And if it is, we want to be in a position that we can control it and go to win the game and hopefully finish top of the group.”

The teams

NEW ZEALAND: Renee Holmes (Waikato/Chiefs Manawa); Braxton Sorensen-McGee (Auckland/Blues), Stacey Waaka (Waikato/Chiefs Manawa), Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai’i Sylvia Brunt (Auckland/Blues), Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (Northland/Blues); Ruahei Demant (Auckland/Blues) (co-capt), Risaleaana Pouri-Lane (Tasman/New Zealand Sevens); Chryss Viliko (Auckland/Blues), Georgia Ponsonby (Canterbury/Matatū), Tanya Kalounivale (Waikato/Chiefs Manawa), Maiakawanakaulani Roos (Auckland/Blues), Alana Bremner (Canterbury/Matatū), Layla Sae (Manawatū/Hurricanes Poua), Jorja Miller (Canterbury/New Zealand Sevens), Liana Mikaele-Tu’u (Auckland/Blues).

Replacements: Vici-Rose Green (Waikato/Chiefs Manawa), Kate Henwood (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs Manawa), Amy Rule (Canterbury/Matatū), Laura Bayfield (Canterbury/Matatū), Kennedy Tukuafu (Waikato/Chiefs Manawa) (co-capt), Maia Joseph (Otago/Matatū), Theresa Setefano (Auckland/Blues), Ayesha Leti-I’iga (Wellington/Hurricanes Poua).

IRELAND: Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC); Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby) (co-capt), Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht) (co-capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).

Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs), Siobhan McCarthy (Worcester Warriors/Munster), Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke RFC/Ulster), Eimear Corri Fallon (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC/Ulster), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC), Nancy McGillivray (Exeter Chiefs/IQ Rugby), Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC/Connacht).

There is a late change to our Match Day Squad as Ellena Perry has unfortunately been ruled out through injury, with Niamh O’Dowd coming into the starting team and Siobhan McCarthy onto the bench. #WeAreIreland pic.twitter.com/VImNIRjcjQ

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 7, 2025

Allan Bunting, New Zealand’s director of performance said: “We’ve been blessed with world-class facilities and a warm welcome here in Brighton which has allowed us a quality lead into this weekend. Every game in our World Cup journey is crucial to us, and we want to finish our pool phase strong.

“Our wāhine (women) have all had an opportunity to play the past two games. Consistency and cohesion will be a key focus around our selections. We’ve had critical learnings out of the last two weeks and are building well.”

Told you it was great craic on the train from London to Brighton. Nathan Johns is your cameraman.

Ireland have won two of their three previous Test matches against New Zealand, including a 29-27 victory in their most recent clash in WXV1 last October. They are the only team to have a winning record over New Zealand. The other victory was in the 2014 World Cup match in Marcoussis, Paris.

[ Stacey Flood talks about Ireland’s Green Wave in her columnOpens in new window ]

New Zealand have also beaten the same opposition at the pool stage. Winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga returns from an ankle injury. In the starting team, the front row remains unchanged with Chryss Viliko, Tanya Kalounivale, and Georgia Ponsonby anchoring the defending champions’ scrum.

Maiakawanakaulani Roos and Alana Bremner are an unchanged secondrow pairing, while the backrow sees a positional changes for Layla Sae and highly rated youngster Jorja Miller. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u will wear the number eight jersey.

Demant and Risaleaana Pouri-Lane, New Zealand Sevens’ Olympic gold medal-winning co-captain from last year, form the halfback combination. The back-three features Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who became New Zealand’s top Test try scorer – male or female – with her 50th try against Japan last week, talented 18-year-old Braxton Sorensen-McGee, and full-back Renee Holmes.

Hello and welcome to the Irish Times blog for Ireland’s final pool match at Amex Stadium in Brighton. New Zealand are the opponents. Scott Bemand’s side have won their two opening World Cup games against Japan and Spain and, as a result, have already qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament.

John O’Sullivan here, and I will take you through this afternoon’s action. With no expense spared by the Irish Times, rugby correspondent Gerry Thornley and Nathan Johns are in Brighton and we will bring you their thoughts, before and after the game in the shape of features, a match report and reaction.

I’m not sure if it’s the first time ever in terms of an Ireland women’s Test match but there will also be Player Ratings. The fact that Ireland don’t need to win doesn’t mean that they aren’t determined to do so as Irish fullback Stacey Flood outlined in her column as she offered her thoughts on facing the defending world champions.

Ireland beaten New Zealand 29-27 last November in the WXV1 tournament in Canada, thanks to Dannah O’Brien’s late conversion but they’d sway that for a victory in Brighton today. It’s sunny today on England’s south coast. Anecdotally the trains are full of green clad supporters when it comes to those leaving London Bridge for Brighton.