New Zealand snatch last-gasp semi-final win to set up Australia decider for SVNS World Championship

New Zealand will face Australia in the Women’s SVNS World Championship final at Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux on Sunday, after surviving a heart-stopping 19-17 semi-final victory over Canada that was settled in the dying seconds.

New Zealand appeared to have thrown the match away when Jorja Miller knocked the ball on with less than 50 seconds remaining, leaving Canada to pack down for a scrum with both time and the scoreboard in their favour. But Risi Pouri-Lane won a crucial pilfer penalty as the full-time siren sounded, and Miller then sliced through to score and level the match. Manaia Nuku converted the decisive kick to send New Zealand through.

“The biggest thing is just to stay calm. We know how to play rugby, we’ve been in moments like this before,” Pouri-Lane said after the match. “When there’s time on the clock, there’s time. It’s a game of moments.”

Pouri-Lane revealed she had been watching the clock as Canada set up their scrum, aware they were trying to slow the game down. “I know for us that as Black Ferns Sevens when we apply pressure, when we believe in ourselves, we can get on top of teams. If there’s 10 seconds to go, we’ve got to take our moment.”

Australia secured their place in the final with a more comfortable 21-7 win over the USA. Heidi Dennis opened the scoring before co-captains Madison Ashby and Isabella Nasser also crossed, giving the Aussies three try-scorers and a 14-point winning margin.

The stakes in Sunday’s final are asymmetric: Australia must win the match outright to claim the World Championship title, while New Zealand would take the crown on overall match points differential if the result goes their way.

Australia have reached every Cup Final during the 2026 SVNS season but have not won back-to-back events since late 2023, meaning they will need to make history to secure the title.

Pouri-Lane acknowledged the familiarity between the two sides heading into the decider. “We’ve played Australia many, many times. They know how we play, we know how they play — but again, it’s a game of moments and we’ve just got to be smart and focus on us. When our eyes, when our gaze lifts to the other team, we lose sight of what we’re actually good at.”