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Never let it be said that these Red Roses don’t know how to throw a housewarming party. On the day that the retitled Allianz Stadium was officially opened, a side increasingly making the venue feel like home proved that they are too good even for the world champions.
New Zealand may be the only team to have beaten the Red Roses in their last 48 matches but England were off their game for long periods here and still emerged as relatively comfortable victors. It is only 11 months now until the World Cup begins, and 54 weeks until these two are likely to have another date with destiny here in the final. The nagging question of whether England are now so excellent that they will cruise to glory on their own turf next September remains.
A similarly sized gap was closed quickly by the Black Ferns in 2022, but they will not enjoy the comforts of home this time around. England, meanwhile, are going from strength to strength under John Mitchell. Not everything worked in the Twickenham sunshine but there was enough to show why they are red-hot favourites for the tournament – even if the head coach himself knows that on another day, his side’s failure to kill the game off could have cost them.
“It was a satisfying performance,” Mitchell said. “We went through a patchy start and then built some really good pressure and unstructured play. We then had an opportunity to finish them but we didn’t finish them through letting them off with penalties.
“When you’ve got the foot on the throat, [you’ve got to] finish it. Our discipline in the last 20 metres of the field let them off the hook. We had them exactly where we wanted them. It’s good and exactly what we wanted – to get lessons at this time of year.”
Much of the attention in the build-up to a clash of the world’s top two had focused upon another first fixture at this redecorated venue. A lucrative naming rights deal it may be but it seems that half of the £100m or so may have been spent on Allianz branding, abundant in all corners of this grand old ground. The makers of the half-and-half scarves on the walk from the station hadn’t got the memo, though, the black-and-white knits still sporting the venue’s old name. For some, it seems, the rebranding will take some getting used to.
While a crowd of 41,523 was a step back from the numbers seen in the Women’s Six Nations, it still reflects a sea change in the interest of the rugby public in this side. It was a slight shame that neither side really hit the heights required to deliver the sort of spectacle the pre-match billing of world champions versus world number one suggested. However, there was still plenty to captivate.
England coach Mitchell had said that he wanted his side to be tested in the week and the visitors certainly ensured that was the case early on. New Zealand made all of the running in the first 15 minutes, particularly through Ayesha Leti-I’iga, back in a Black Ferns shirt for the first time in nearly two years after an ACL tear. The wing enjoyed the freedom afforded to her by a narrow, sloppy English defence, and only Jess Breach’s sheer sprinting speed prevented a score with Ellie Kildunne already skinned.
With England’s kicking game – seldom sighted this year as they embrace an attacking evolution – off the mark, New Zealand dominated territory and possession for 15 minutes but could not force through a white wall reforming just about in time inside their own 22.
England, by contrast, struck with virtually their first opportunity. A break up the centre from Zoe Aldcroft and Sarah Bern showed off the front five’s all court game, but it was back to an old favourite to finish the job. Under the previous coaching staff, the maul was the Red Roses’ weapon of massed destruction, and the bundled bodies proved irresistible here with Marlie Packer, as so often is the case, the submerged scorer.
Soon, though, England’s outside backs were again showing their wares. Abby Dow’s sweet feet and fierce fend took her into the corner before Kildunne shimmied in for her side’s third. Despite having produced their worst 20 minutes under Mitchell so far, the Red Roses were cantering clear.
Almost immediately after the interval, Mo Hunt burrowed over from close range with her side down to 14 players after an Aldcroft high tackle. The Black Ferns broke their duck after a friendly bounce allowed Ruahei Demant to tee up Katelyn Vahaakolo, and the wing soon had a second as New Zealand rallied, replacement Layla Sae drawing and passing neatly.
Yet that was all they could muster, and while England did not add to Hunt’s score, they were relatively comfortable victors with their defence to the fore. For the second game of a long season that will not properly end until after next year’s tournament, perhaps some errors could be expected.
Mitchell’s squad, named on Thursday, will be tested thrice more at WXV in Canada, including another meeting with New Zealand. Both sides will be better for what was effectively a warm-up outing– but the Black Ferns will have to find another level if they hope to match England next year.
“It’s massively valuable for us, the whole experience,” visiting coach Allan Bunting said. “It’s an amazing field and an amazing atmosphere. To play against England, you are always testing yourself against the best. I’m a little bit disappointed about today but really proud of our growth. It’s our first Test match for quite a while but we can tidy up it up.”
