What changed
New Zealand recovered from 12-4 down to beat World Cup debutants Fiji 18-12 in Newcastle. It was the first time New Zealand had trailed at half-time in a women’s World Cup match.
Stacey Waaka scored twice for New Zealand. Losana Lutu scored Fiji’s first women’s World Cup try.
Why it matters
New Zealand arrived as one of the tournament’s strongest teams, having reached all six previous finals and won the first three. Against Fiji, though, their control disappeared after Waaka’s early score.
Fiji’s defence held firm after half-time, but New Zealand eventually edged ahead through Zehara Temara’s penalty kicks. The match stayed tense until Raecene McGregor’s cross-field kick found Leianne Tufuga in the final minutes.
New Zealand coach Ricky Henry called it a “wake-up call.” That feels right. The win keeps the tournament favourite moving, but the performance exposed how quickly an expected one-sided game can become a fight. Whether this was temporary rustiness or a deeper weakness will become clearer when New Zealand face France in Christchurch.
Fiji now play Papua New Guinea. Their challenge is to reproduce the defensive intensity that made New Zealand work so hard.
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