Papua New Guinea appeared to learn from the Fiji match and looked to put the Kiwi Ferns under pressure from the start.
The Black ferns had to come from behind to beat Papua New Guinea. Photo / Photosport
An early Stacey Waaka try was quickly cancelled out by a four-pointer from Tia Molo and a conversion from Emily Veivers had PNG ahead after 10 minutes.
The Kiwi Ferns hit back again through Mackenzie Wiki, but PNG put themselves back in the lead through a try from Elsie Albert.
The Kiwi Ferns also learned from their tournament opener and didn’t wait until the second half to stamp their authority on the match.
Kaiyah Atai ended the first half by bursting through a gaping hole in the Orchids’ defence, while Zahara Temara obliged with the conversion to give the Kiwi Ferns a two-point lead at halftime.
Otesa Pule started the second half off with a bang, taking the ball just inside her own half and using her strength and speed to stretch away from defenders and plant the ball for another try.
New Zealand continued to be clinical and found plenty of freedom down their left flank to extend their lead against a PNG side that continued to show grit and determination throughout the match.
The Kiwi Ferns won all three of the pool games at the Rugby League World Cup. Photo / Getty Images
Wiki, Leianne Tufuga and two Abigail Roche tries put the game out of reach for the Orchids, while Temara found her range by slotting three second half conversions.
The Kiwi Ferns were heading to the semi-finals no matter the result, but a test like this from an improved Papua New Guinea side has provided an excellent tune up for whoever comes next.
Keeping their opposition scoreless in the second half has shown how the team has slowly progressed throughout the tournament and thrown memories of their close encounter against to the wayside.
Up next comes Samoa who put in a strong 24-6 victory over England and an enormous 76-0 win against Wales in their pool games.
Kiwi Ferns 40 (Stacey Waaka, Mackenzie Wiki 2, Kaiyah Atai, Otesa Pule, Leianne Tufuga, Abigail Roche 2 tries; Zahara Temara 4 con).
Papua New Guinea Orchids 12 (Tia Molo, Elsie Albert tries; Emily Veivers cons)
HT: 14-12
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.