New Zealand has come-from-behind to open their campaign with an 18-12 victory in the face of a spirited World Cup debut from an impressive Fiji Bulikula side.
The Kiwi Ferns trailed 12-4 during the first half as poor handling and discipline counted against them, but stayed in the grind, taking two penalties to hit the lead before the match sealing try from Leianne Tufuga with three minutes remaining.
New Zealand had the early ascendency when Stacey Waaka scored after two minutes, but it was short-lived as the Bulikula recovered from a nervous start to heap the pressure on the Kiwi Ferns.
Fiji held sway of possession and field position while asserting physicality in defence and eventually got their reward after 21 minutes.
Stacey Waaka 2nd Try
A barnstorming run and quick play-the-ball from powerful interchange forward Lorren Ieli gave skipper Sereana Naitokatoka the chance to run from dummy half and find Losana Lutu running a brave line and crashing over to score the Bulikula’s historic first try on World Cup debut.
Losana Lutu Try
Bulikula centre Sienna Laing kicked along a Lutu grubber to extend their lead just five minutes later to shock the crowd at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The Ferns soon turned the tide as Stacey Waaka ran away for her second try just moments before half-time, but they trailed at the interval against a team other than Australia for the first time in World Cup history.
New Zealand had a renewed sense of urgency when they returned from the break, repeatedly threatening the Bulikula line, but couldn’t find a way through due to desperate Fiji defence and their own poor completion rate.
The constant scramble was even more impressive as the Bulikula dealt with injuries to Tamika Jones, Maria Paseka and Sienna Laing.
A beautiful Bulikula hymn
The Kiwi Ferns had to settle for a Zehara Temara penalty goal to level the scores midway through the second half, then took the lead inside 10 minutes remaining with another two points shortly after Fiji missed the chance to go ahead with their own penalty shot.
But it was some Raecene McGregor brilliance that would make sure the Kiwi Ferns left with the two points, with her cross-field chip-kick landing in the arms of Leianne Tufuga to allow New Zealand fans a collective sigh of relief.
The Bulikula will get their chance to bounce back against Papua New Guina Orchids in their next match, while the Kiwi Ferns take on France at home in Christchurch in Round 2 next weekend.
