World Cup 2021 : Semi Finals/Final (Women's)

Australia 82-0 PNG

The conditions were very foggy and typical of North England in autumn. The Jillaroos were expected to win this and after ten minutes lead 6-0. The ineffective PNG kicking game was nullifying the hard work they were putting in. Then the floodgates started to open. Some of the mistakes that were creeping into the PNG game would have made under six players blush. 40-0 at the break was the result.

In the second half, PNG tackling became less effective as they tired and presumably became disspirited. The Orchids had some good performances against less experienced sides but against the Jillaroos, they went missing in action. They got back into it toward the end of the game but their attack was firing blanks so no danger there. 

New Zealand 20-6 England (Picture above; rlwc2021)

The game started with a Kiwi mistake and a Lioness try. The Kiwis started having success in outmuscling their opponents and had opportunities probing with their right side attack. NZ got to an 8-6 lead after 30 minutes but England was holding up well and happy to keep the deficit to two points. Some of the passing and handling was clunky from both sides. 

In the second half, England attack proved to be sterile and while the Kiwis weren't great either, they had enough firepower to turn some opportunities into points. The standard between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres was starkly exposed. The Lionesses were galant but it's execution that wins games and they were poor in that department. The result was no surprise.   

Grand Final: Australia 54-4 New Zealand 

With gaps between games short, Australia had the deeper squad and rested players which was helpful to keep the players fresh. NZ used the same players more often and that had the Kiwi side looking sluggish from the outset. Within five the sharper Jillaroos were ahead. Kiwi attacks were being dealt with but not the other way around. 20-0 at the turn around.

The second half was the Jillaroo show and it was 38-0 with a quarter to go. Just when it looked like the Kiwis wouldn't score they manufactured a fine try. Then Australia came back with more tries, one off a forward pass but why give a well beaten side a break?