New Zealand's Black Ferns proved the eight-place world rankings gap was no illusion, beating the Springbok Women 52-20 in front of a good crowd at FNB Stadium on Saturday in a one-off Test billed under Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry.
The Black Ferns had the wind firmly at their backs in the first half and exploited it immediately, using deep kicks to set up field position before Elinor Plum-King crossed from close range after a quick-tap penalty. Braxton Sorensen-McGee then raced clear off a miscued SA kick to make it 12-0 inside ten minutes.
South Africa fought back with two tries from their preferred weapon — the driving maul. Lindelwa Gwala was bundled over from a lineout drive after 14 minutes, and Aphiwe Ngwevu crashed over following a quick tap by Unam Tose, cutting the deficit to 10-12 approaching the half-hour mark. The Bok scrum also put the Black Ferns under consistent pressure, forcing multiple penalties, and wing Mererangi Paul was yellow-carded for slapping down a SA pass.
Momentum, though, swung back to the visitors before the break. Chryss Viliko and Sorensen-McGee both scored from quick-tap penalties in the closing stages of the half to push the lead out to 24-10 at the interval.
The Bok Women continued to threaten through the maul early in the second half, with Vainah Ubisi going over in the 49th minute — with two Black Ferns simultaneously sin-binned — to cut the gap to 24-15. That, however, was as close as South Africa would get. Scrumhalf Maia Joseph stepped through the defence from the restart to score, and once gaps began opening in the SA defensive line, the Black Ferns' pace and skill took over. Plum-King claimed her second, Amarante Sititi crashed over from close range, and Maama Moonia Vaipulu's converted try took the visitors past 50.
Ubisi had the final say, dotting down for her second try from a quick-tap penalty to give the home crowd a late moment to celebrate.
The Bok Women's primary failing was a combination of basic handling errors and imprecise lineout work that squandered multiple promising positions. New Zealand's tactical reading of the conditions and their ability to shift the ball wide when space appeared were the decisive factors.
Scorers: Springbok Women 20 — Tries: Lindelwa Gwala, Aphiwe Ngwevu, Vainah Ubisi (2). Black Ferns 52 — Tries: Elinor Plum-King (2), Braxton Sorensen-McGee (2), Chryss Viliko, Maia Joseph, Amarante Sititi, Maama Moonia Vaipulu. Conversions: Hannah King, Sorensen-McGee (4).