Zoe Harrison's 82nd-minute intercept try seals 26-19 England win over New Zealand

Last-minute interception decides Twickenham clash

England flyhalf Zoe Harrison scored and converted an 82nd-minute intercept try to secure a 26-19 win over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium in London. The WXV Global Series fixture brought together the world's top two ranked sides in front of a crowd of 59,871 spectators. Locked at 19-19 after Harrison missed a 43-metre penalty kick in the 80th minute, New Zealand opted to attack from inside their own 22 rather than kick the ball dead. Harrison intercepted a pass from New Zealand centre Amy du Plessis 15 metres from the tryline and scored, finishing the contest with 11 individual points. England's defence, led by No. 8 Maddie Feaunati and captain Megan Jones, absorbed heavy pressure and logged nearly 300 tackles across the match.

“I nearly suffocated at the bottom of the pile-on and I was screaming for them to get off me because I still had to go and kick.”

New Zealand takes early control

The match opened with intense physical exchanges after England formed a united line to face New Zealand's pre-match haka. An early try by Black Ferns winger Ayesha Leti-I'iga was disallowed by officials because she did not release the ball in a tackle. England opened the scoring in the 13th minute when fullback Ellie Kildunne created space to send winger Claudia Moloney-MacDonald over for her fourth try of the month. New Zealand replied by controlling territory, aided by barrelling carries from No. 8 Kaipo Olsen-Baker in her first match in five weeks. Du Plessis kicked into open space and beat England defenders to touch down, before flyhalf Hannah King broke through to set up Leti-I'iga, giving New Zealand a 12-7 halftime lead.

Second-half battle and discipline

England responded early in the second half when Jess Breach drew three defenders, enabling Kildunne to score around the corner and make it 14-12. Disciplinary trouble then hindered New Zealand when prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu received a yellow card for head contact. The incident forced England forward Marlie Packer off with an injury, after Packer had initially entered the starting lineup due to a pre-match injury to Sadia Kabeya. With New Zealand down to a seven-woman scrum, England pushed over for Breach to score her 58th career test try. The Black Ferns levelled the score at 19-19 with ten minutes remaining when winger Mererangi Paul crossed after a pass from Du Plessis, followed by a conversion from Braxton Sorensen-McGee.

England26

New Zealand19

England

26 points

New Zealand

19 points

Data from the article text

Unbeaten streak extended to 41 matches

The win extends England's unbeaten run to 41 test matches, following a 26-26 draw against Canada at Sandy Park that ended a 39-game winning streak. It also marks the first defeat for New Zealand under head coach Whitney Hansen after an eight-match winning run. Harrison noted the significance of defeating the Black Ferns on home soil, recalling England's defeat in the 2022 World Cup final. New Zealand captain Georgia Ponsonby praised her team's effort in an evenly matched encounter.

“It was a hell of a test match, everything we could have hoped for and more. We came so close. Gutted we came so close and fell short.”

England head coach John Mitchell welcomed the test of composure in tight matches before the team travels to North America. England will complete a three-test series against Canada with fixtures in Toronto and Ottawa, while New Zealand travels to Hamilton to face France.

“The Red Roses don't play New Zealand and Canada often. It's important to learn how to win tight test matches.”