Zoe Harrison’s late try gives England 26-19 win over New Zealand

Zoe Harrison scored an interception try in added time to give England a 26-19 win over New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday, 26 September. The Red Roses had been level at 19-19 after 80 minutes. Harrison converted her own try, securing England’s first victory since a draw with Canada ended a 39-match winning streak and extending their unbeaten run to 41 Tests.

The winning move followed a missed penalty by Harrison from long range. New Zealand chose to run the ball from deep rather than end the match with a draw. Harrison intercepted a pass from Amy du Plessis inside the Black Ferns’ 22 and crossed for England’s fourth try. Her conversion completed a seven-point finish to a match in which the lead had changed hands three times, according to Sky Sports’ report from Twickenham.

How the match reached 19-19

England scored first through Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, who finished an attack set up by Ellie Kildunne in the 13th minute. New Zealand had already had a potential try by Ayesha Leti-I’iga ruled out. The visitors then took control for much of the first half, with du Plessis chasing down her own kick to score before Leti-I’iga finished a break by Hannah King. New Zealand led 12-7 at half-time.

Kildunne put England back in front after the break. With New Zealand prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle on Marlie Packer, Jess Breach scored England’s third try to make it 19-12. The Black Ferns responded when Mererangi Paul crossed following sustained pressure. Braxton Sorensen-McGee’s conversion brought the sides level with about 10 minutes left.

A win after the Canada draw

England entered the match after a 26-26 draw with Canada the previous week. That result ended a run of 39 consecutive wins, but England’s sequence without a defeat remained intact. Saturday’s victory extended it to 41 Tests. New Zealand had been the last side to beat England, in the 2022 World Cup final, making this another meeting with the team that began the Red Roses’ current unbeaten sequence.

England captain Megan Jones credited her team’s defence after the match. ‘We’re playing the top teams now and you’re just going to get everything thrown at you,’ she told Sky Sports. On the winning try, Jones said England’s defensive pressure had created the opportunity. Head coach John Mitchell called the match ‘topsy-turvy’ and said England had given New Zealand too much possession, while praising his players for holding on defensively.

New Zealand captain Georgia Ponsonby also pointed to how close the contest had been. ‘We didn’t come out here to lose, we came to win and be brave,’ she told Sky Sports. She said she was proud of her team despite the finish. New Zealand had led at half-time and then recovered from 19-12 down, only to lose possession while trying to turn a likely draw into a win.

What comes next

Sky Sports lists England’s next WXV Global Series matches as two Tests against Canada, in Toronto on 16 October and Ottawa on 23 October, followed by a game against the United States in New Jersey on 30 October. Those fixtures will follow two contrasting Tests for the Red Roses: the Canada draw that ended their winning streak and Harrison’s late score that kept their longer unbeaten run going.

For New Zealand, the match showed both the strength of their response and the narrow margin at the end. The Black Ferns scored twice to take a first-half lead and again to erase England’s second-half advantage. World Rugby’s match coverage described a long period of New Zealand pressure before the break; the decisive moment instead came when England regained possession from the visitors’ final attack.