NEW ZEALAND 22 SAMOA 20
TOM SMITH, Go Media Stadium, Auckland, Sunday

MELE HUFANGA sealed a massive second-half comeback to deny Fetu Samoa their first ever win over New Zealand.

A youthful Samoa side shot to a 20-0 lead at half-time and looked certain to register a maiden win over the Kiwi Ferns at their fifth attempt, before a drastic change in momentum.

Just a fortnight after scoring the late try that clinched the NRLW Grand Final for Brisbane, Hufanga raced 90 metres with a Pauline Piliae-Rasabale kick in the 63rd minute to complete the fightback.

Dally M Rookie of the Year Shalom Sauaso made an outstanding Test bow, and opened the scoring by leaving a string of NZ defenders in her wake.

Gold Coast Titans team-mates Sarina Masaga and Destiny Mino-Sinapati found the whitewash next, the latter sprinting 95 metres with a Patricia Maliepo kick.

Once Tavarna Papalii combined with Masaga for the Samoans’ fourth, the upset was on.

The Kiwi Ferns had other ideas.

Shanice Parker, Ashleigh Quinlan and Alexis Tauaneai all struck within five minutes to set up a tense finish, with halfback Raecene McGregor having the ball on a string.

Parker bobbled the grounding of what would’ve been an equalising try, but Hufanga stepped up instead, and Maliepo made no mistake with the match-winning conversion.

NEW ZEALAND: 1 Apii Nicholls (New Zealand Warriors), 2 Shanice Parker (Newcastle Knights), 3 Abigail Roache (North Queensland Cowboys), 4 Mele Hufanga (Brisbane Broncos), 5 Tysha Ikenasio (New Zealand Warriors), 6 Patricia Maliepo (New Zealand Warriors), 7 Raecene McGregor (St George Illawarra Dragons), 8 Angelina Teakaraanga-Katoa (Canterbury Bulldogs), 9 Brooke Anderson (Cronulla Sharks), 10 Brianna Clark (Brisbane Broncos), 11 Annessa Biddle (Cronulla Sharks), 12 Shakira Baker (New Zealand Warriors), 13 Georgia Hale (Gold Coast Titans). Subs (all used): 14 Ashleigh Quinlan (Canterbury Bulldogs), 15 Otesa Pule (Sydney Roosters), 16 Alexis Tauaneai (Canterbury Bulldogs), 17 Ivana Lauitiiti (New Zealand Warriors)

Tries: Parker (45), Quinlan (47), Tauaneai (50), Hufanga (63); Goals: Maliepo 3/4

SAMOA: 1 Jetaya Faifua (Wests Tigers), 2 Jessica Patea (Illawarra Steelers), 3 Sarina Masaga (Gold Coast Titans), 4 Lindsay Tui (Parramatta Eels), 5 Destiny Mino-Sinapati (Gold Coast Titans), 6 Taliah Fuimaono (Gold Coast Titans), 7 Pauline Piliae-Rasabale (Gold Coast Titans), 8 Annetta-Claudia Nu’uausala (Brisbane Broncos), 9 Destiny Brill (Brisbane Broncos), 10 Eliza Lopamua (Sydney Roosters), 11 Ryvrr-Lee Alo (Parramatta Eels), 12 Tavarna Papalii (Sydney Roosters), 13 Sienna Lofipo (Gold Coast Titans). Subs (all used): 14 Pihuka Berryman-Duff (Wests Tigers), 15 Laikha Clarke (Gold Coast Titans), 16 Ella-Jaye Harrison-Leaunoa (Ipswich Jets), 17 Shalom Sauaso (Brisbane Broncos)

Tries: Sauaso (13), Masaga (21), Mino-Sinapati (27), Papalii (32); Goals: Piliae-Rasabale 2/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-10, 0-14, 0-20; 4-20, 10-20, 16-20, 22-20

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
New Zealand: Male Hufanga; Samoa: Shalom Sauaso

Penalty count: 5-6; Half-time: 0-20; Referee: Belinda Sharpe