Stacey Waaka Scores a Hat-Trick as the Kiwi Ferns Beat Samoa 32-0 to Reach the World Cup Final
Stacey Waaka scored three tries as New Zealand’s women beat Samoa 32-0 in Newcastle on Saturday and reached the World Cup final for the seventh time in a row.
The Kiwi Ferns will play Australia or Fiji in Brisbane on 15 November. They won the first three World Cups, between 2000 and 2008, and have lost all three finals since.
Waaka and McGregor
Waaka has played rugby sevens, rugby union and rugby league for New Zealand, and she was the difference here. Two of her tries came from Raecene McGregor kicks. The first was a short chip that bounced on its point, and Waaka jumped above everyone to take it. The second was a cross-field kick after McGregor stepped inside a defender.
Her third came from a flick pass by Annessa Biddle. BBC Sport had her on 131 metres, and she now has nine tries in four games at this World Cup.
McGregor, the captain, finished it with the last try of the game. Mackenzie Wiki had opened the scoring in the second minute, and Mele Hufanga and Kaiyah Atai scored in back-to-back sets to settle it by the 60th minute.
A closer game than the score
It was 8-0 at half-time. Samoa had repeat sets in the New Zealand half midway through the first half and could not turn them into points, and NRL.com reported that the Kiwi Ferns made a string of handling errors against Samoa’s defence. A weather front then rolled in and shook the posts, which made goal-kicking hard for Chantay Kiria-Ratu. She kicked two.
The Kiwi Ferns’ defence has been the story of their tournament. They conceded 24 points in three group games, BBC Sport reported, and none here.
| Team | Tries | Goals | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Waaka 3, Wiki, Hufanga, Atai, McGregor | Kiria-Ratu 2 | 32 |
| Samoa | none | none | 0 |
Samoa’s young winger
Samoa made too many errors, including two forward passes from Pauline Piliae-Rasabale on the right edge. But there were good signs. Fanua Rimoni was strong at lock, and 18-year-old winger Anastasia Leatupue did well on her international debut. She was called in after Freedom Crichton Ropati was ruled out, as our semi-final preview reported.
Samoa’s men are still in the tournament. They play the Kangaroos in the other semi-final at Allianz Stadium in Sydney tonight.
Australia or Fiji next
The Jillaroos play Fiji’s Bulikula in Sydney on Sunday. Australia have won the last three World Cups, and they beat the Kiwi Ferns 54-4 in the 2022 final at Old Trafford. Fiji are playing their first women’s World Cup.
The last time New Zealand had both teams in the finals on Australian soil was 2008, and both won. Our World Cup table has every result so far.
