Black Ferns try fiend Katelyn Vahaakolo has scored four as the New Zealanders thumped the Wallaroos 62-0 in Ballymore – their biggest ever win over their trans-Tasman rivals on Australian soil.
The result consigned the Wallaroos to their 27th defeat from 27 attempts against the four-time world champions on a horror afternoon made worse by a hideous finger injury to former captain Piper Duck.
Yet again the Black Ferns were simply too powerful and too skilful with ball in hand, dominating possession and territory on Sunday.
Other than a brief period in the first half when the Wallaroos had a try disallowed through prop Eva Karpani, they struggled to string together more than a few phases, consistently out-muscled by the Black Ferns’ dominant forward pack.
It took just four minutes for New Zealand to open the scoring, with Georgia Ponsonby burrowing over after a series of irresistible rolling rucks.
The Black Ferns kept their foot on the accelerator throughout the first 40 minutes, pulling out to a 29-0 lead at the break.
NRLW convert Vahaakolo scored two tries either side of halftime to extend her Black Ferns scoring streak to eight consecutive games.
The pacey winger brought up her hat-trick shortly after the resumption, slicing through a retreating Wallaroos defensive line to plant the ball under the posts.
The Wallaroos’ task was made all the more difficult when Duck was forced from the field in the second half with a dislocated finger.
The stomach-churning sight of her ring finger sticking out at a right angle was like water off a duck’s back, as the tough-as-nails No.8 casually sauntered off the field, high-fiving teammates as she went.
Black Ferns hooker Atlanta Lolohea scored a try and a penalty try to cap off the win – a dream debut for the 21-year-old.
The defeat will be a tough one to take for Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp, who felt her side was on a roll after their 64-5 victory over Fiji the previous weekend.
Her side will have until September to lick their wounds ahead of their next clash with Ireland – their first encounter in seven years – as they ramp up preparations for the 2025 World Cup.
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