Not even a 30-game unbeaten run and four years of million-pound investment could bring glory for the Red Roses on Saturday. They fought valiantly, equal partners in a brilliant contest, but Rugby World Cup finals involving New Zealand are a simple game: 30 women chase a ball for 80 minutes and, at the end, the Black Ferns win.
Five finals against New Zealand this century, five defeats for England. The big show focuses Kiwi minds. They have lost ten times to England in women’s rugby, but even when they drift and fester, they always get their act together when a trophy is on offer.
Their act was in pieces 12 months ago. New Zealand travelled to England and France for a quartet of stuffings. It
© Times Newspapers Limited 2022.
Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF.