Black Fern Stacey Waaka dots down against Ireland in Brighton last weekend. Photo \/ Tony O Brien \/ action press<\/p>\n
The Black Ferns\u2019 initial breakthrough came in the 15th minute when centre Stacey Waaka scored her 13th test try. Mikaele-Tu\u2019u blasted through the middle and, four passes later, Braxton Sorensen-McGee offloaded nimbly to Waaka. Five minutes later, Viliko barreled through for another score.<\/p>\n
When asked how it felt to score her first Rugby World Cup try, a startled Viliko glanced at her toes to avoid the glare of the camera lights and softly responded, \u201cGood,\u201d before a raucous Ayesha Leti-I\u2019iga interrupted, \u201cYou got a try baby, yeah that\u2019s my girl\u201d before the pair burst into laughter.<\/p>\n
The departure of Irish fullback Stacey Flood, carried off on a stretcher, just before halftime, was no laughing matter. Flood\u2019s exit adds to a mounting Irish injury list, which includes Aoife Wafer, Dorothy Wall and Erin King \u2013 all pivotal in Ireland\u2019s upset of the Black Ferns in Vancouver last year. <\/p>\n
Waaka exploited the space that Flood would have covered, setting up Sorensen-McGee almost immediately after the injury. With three tries and 114 metres gained in possession, Sorensen-McGee had another field day.<\/p>\n
Ireland gave it heaps after halftime, mauls, mauls, mauls, kicks that didn\u2019t quite bounce the right way or narrowly trickled out of reach. All the while the Black Ferns maintained their shape, and brutally so on defence. <\/p>\n
A disallowed try in the 72nd minute perfectly illustrated the Black Ferns\u2019 hunger. After a quick tap by Ireland just five metres from the Black Ferns\u2019 line, Sorensen-McGee urgently retreated and made a lunging intervention. This led to a turnover, and fullback Renee Holmes slammed the ball into open space using her less-favoured left boot. <\/p>\n
As Irish second five Eve Higgins scrambled, Jorja Miller and Leti-I\u2019iga prowled. However, a delicate touch from Leti-I\u2019iga disrupted Higgins\u2019 attempt to pick up the ball, preventing Holmes from celebrating a try from the subsequent ruck.<\/p>\n
Still, the Black Ferns had favourable territory and, after forcing another mistake, Sorensen-McGee crossed for her third try from a routine scrum move. From the restart, Leti-I\u2019iga and Miller combined again, with the Wellington winger surging 40 metres before supplying Miller, who sent replacement halfback Maia Joseph clear. <\/p>\n
\u201cJob done, pretty proud of that one, Scott [Bemand] and the Irish ladies really threw everything at us and put us under a lot of pressure,\u201d Black Ferns director of rugby Alan Bunting said afterwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were formidable on D<\/a>, we didn\u2019t want to let them past and that\u2019s what it\u2019s going to take to go further in this competition.\u201d <\/p>\n The Black Ferns\u2019 next match is their quarter-final against South Africa at Exeter at midnight on Saturday, live on SkySport.<\/p>\n PM on the train<\/p>\n Josef Shadwell, a former head prefect and First XV halfback at Hutt Valley High School, was among the Kiwi cheer squad in Brighton at the weekend.<\/p>\n To avoid the crowds afterwards, Shadwell and his friends decided to head to Lewes, a small town nearby, to enjoy a kebab.<\/p>\n While waiting for their train back to London, they noticed someone at the station: former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, with her husband Clarke Gayford and their daughter Neve.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Prime Minister catching the train \u2013 how Kiwi is that?\u201d Shadwell laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly a few recognised her. Everyone was chatting about footy all the way to Clapham Junction, and then we all waited at the door to go our separate ways. Unbelievable!\u201d<\/p>\n Ardern has been a visitor in the Black Ferns\u2019 dressing room.<\/a><\/p>\n Ayesha to Ardie<\/p>\n Ayesha Leti-I\u2019iga is the only Black Fern in the Rugby World Cup touring party from Wellington. She has played 84 matches for her beloved Oriental Rongotai (Ories) club in Miramar, scoring 198 tries. <\/p>\n Ories is the same club that Ardie Savea represents. On Saturday, Savea helped the All Blacks secure fortress Eden Park<\/a> with a stirring 24-17 triumph over the world champion Springboks in his 100th test.<\/p>\n \u201cO-Tide Baby, O-Tide!\u201d Leti-I\u2019iga exclaimed as she lifted her jersey to proudly display an Ories tattoo on her body.<\/p>\n \u201cOne game for New Zealand is special; 100 games for New Zealand is even more special,\u201d she said of Savea\u2019s achievement. \u201cI\u2019m so proud it was at home. I know he would have enjoyed that, because none of us would be here without the grassroots support.\u201d<\/p>\n In her last appearance for Ories, Leti-I\u2019iga scored four tries. She also scored three tries and received a yellow card in a high-stakes, 100-minute 24-24 draw in a final against Petone last year. Her record for the most tries in a single game for Ories is eight, and she set a season record with 41 tries in just 12 games.<\/p>\n Ories have produced several Rugby World Cup winners, including Julian Savea, Ma\u2019a Nonu, John Gallagher, Rebecca Liua\u2019ana and Joanah Ngan-Woo.<\/p>\n The oldest Black Fern on tour<\/p>\nJacinda Ardern with Black Ferns star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe during the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025. Photo \/ Black Ferns<\/p>\n