New Zealand U21 stun Australia NextGen 43-10 in historic first fixture at Christchurch

New Zealand Under 21 defeated Australia NextGen U21 43-10 at One NZ Stadium in Christchurch in the first-ever fixture between the two sides, played as a curtain-raiser to the Black Ferns’ WXV Global Series season finale against France.

Manawatu openside Anahera Hamahona, named the team’s inaugural captain just days before the match, described the occasion as a watershed moment for the women’s game in New Zealand. “To be the first captain, it’s a privilege, and to be the first team to get this win, man, we’re just so honoured and we’re so grateful for New Zealand Rugby giving us this pathway for the future,” the 19-year-old No. 7 said post-match.

“You’ve seen it yourself, this is the future of the Black Ferns.”

Ella Henderson scored the first-ever try for the New Zealand U21 side before NSW Waratahs and Warringah Rats winger Lily Gillett replied for the visitors. New Zealand quickly reasserted themselves through two tries to winger Lialanie Muamua, taking a convincing 24-5 lead into half-time.

The home side continued to dominate after the break, outscoring Australia NextGen 19-5 in the second half. Sariyah Paitai, Presayus Singh and Kiera Su’a-Smith all crossed for tries, while Gillett completed a double to become the first-ever try-scorer for the Australia NextGen team.

Six Black Ferns XV players featured in the New Zealand lineup, including 19-year-old backrower Taufa Bason, who had previously been included in the senior squad ahead of the Pacific Four Series and started at No. 8 alongside Zara Feaunati and Hamahona in the loose forwards.

Australia NextGen were co-captained by Ruby Anderson and Faitala Moleka, the latter having been named Wallaroos Player of the Year just two days before the fixture. Despite the scoreline, Moleka spoke positively about the occasion alongside Hamahona in post-match interviews.

Hamahona acknowledged the structural gap the new fixture is designed to bridge. “Some of our girls, they only play [Farah Palmer Cup]. And the bridge between FPC, Super and Black Ferns, there’s a lot of work to be done. This is a starting point and they’ve done such a great job with the professionalism and getting their pathways up and running.”

On what made the difference during the contest, Hamahona pointed to physicality: “We knew our superpowers. We love the collision so we really wanted to bring that into this game and once we got into our dirty work, man, they just couldn’t keep up.”