New Zealand survive Fiji scare with 18-12 World Cup opening win

New Zealand opened their Women's Rugby League World Cup campaign with an 18-12 victory over Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday, recovering from an eight-point deficit against the tournament debutants. According to BBC Sport's match report, the Ferns trailed 12-10 at the interval, the first time they had reached half-time behind in a World Cup match. Their victory remained unsecured until a try in the closing minutes.

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Stacey Waaka gave New Zealand an early advantage with a try after two minutes, but Fiji responded midway through the first half. Captain Sereana Naitokatoka broke from dummy half and supplied Losana Lutu, who scored the country's first try at a Women's World Cup after 21 minutes. Sienna Laing added another five minutes later as Fiji moved into a 12-4 lead, putting the newcomers in position to challenge one of the competition's most established teams.

Waaka's second try brought New Zealand back within two points before half-time. Fiji continued to resist after the restart, and the Ferns needed Zehara Temara's penalty kicks to draw level and then move ahead. The decisive late score came when Raecene McGregor sent a kick across the field for Leianne Tufuga to finish, completing New Zealand's recovery without an easy passage through their opening fixture.

Coach Ricky Henry acknowledged his team's shortcomings afterwards, telling his post-match news conference that New Zealand had moved away from their intended approach. As reported by BBC Sport, he rejected rustiness as an excuse and described the performance as a warning for his players. He nevertheless pointed to their ability to recover as a positive, while making clear there were aspects of the display that needed improvement.

Georgia Hale also criticised New Zealand's discipline and untidy play. She said the team had intended to establish a physical, forward-moving approach but had departed from it and then needed considerable effort to recover. Her assessment followed a demanding start for a side that has reached all six previous Women's World Cup finals, winning the first three and losing the next three to Australia.

New Zealand's next Group B match is against France in Christchurch, giving the Ferns a home fixture after their narrow opening win. Fiji will next face Papua New Guinea, having pushed the three-time champions despite making their first appearance in the women's tournament.