CHRISTCHURCH — Sylvia Brunt scored with the clock in the red as reigning World Cup champion New Zealand rallied for a 27-27 tie with Canada in Pacific Four Series women's rugby play Saturday.
Black Ferns fly half Ruahei Demant had a chance to win it but missed a difficult conversion from the sideline.
It was a pulsating ending to a hard-fought game, with the Black Ferns' final attack lasting more than 20 phases — blunted repeatedly by some desperate Canadian defence until Brunt went over.
Shoshanah Seumanutafa had scored in the 76th minute to give Canada a 27-22 lead, touching down with a desperate lunge for the try-line after breaking through two tacklers. Julia Schell missed the conversion leaving Canada ahead by five points.
The game was tied 12-12 after a high-paced, intense first half that featured some fierce if occasionally sloppy play at the breakdown, with the high error rate not unexpected from two teams playing just their second test of the year.
Still it was a measuring stick for both teams, with Canada ranked second in the world and New Zealand No. 3, some three months ahead of the Rugby World Cup in England where the two sides could meet in the semifinal.
There were big hits delivered by both sides, with Canadian flanker Karen Paquin flattening a New Zealand ball-runner in the first half. Canada also impressed at set pieces, controlling lineouts and bossing some scrums.
Canadian back Asia Hogan-Rochester, who needed treatment late in the first half, was replaced at the break. In the second half, Canada lost backrower Gabrielle Senft to injury and captain Alex Tessier when she failed a head injury assessment.
Canada won last year's Pacific Four Series with its first-ever victory over New Zealand, defeating the Black Ferns 22-19 in Christchurch. Saturday's rematch was at the same venue, Apollo Projects Stadium.
The Canadian women had lost all 17 meetings with the Black Ferns before that, with 10 of those defeats by 27 points or more. New Zealand had outscored Canada 718-176 before Saturday's game.
Hogan-Rochester, DaLeaka Menin, Alysha Corrigan and Olivia Apps also scored tries for Canada. Schell kicked a conversion.
Ayesha Leti-I’iga scored two tries for New Zealand with Braxton Sorensen-McGee adding a single. Demant booted two conversions and a penalty.
New Zealand had needed to win Saturday to replace Canada in second place in the rankings.
New Zealand pulled ahead 19-12 in the 54th minute when Leti-I’iga gathered in Brunt's deft grubber kick to score her second try. Sorensen-McGee, an 18-year-old fullback played in just her second test match, set the table with a swerving run through traffic.
Canada responded with Apps darting over for a try after a rolling maul stalled near the Black Ferns try-line. But Schell missed the conversion near the sideline, leaving Canada trailing 19-17. The Canadians kept coming and, taking advantage of a poor New Zealand clearing kick, scored again in the 64th with Corrigan scoring on an overlap for a 22-19 lead.
The Black Ferns tied it up in the 69th minute via a Demant penalty kick in front of the posts.
Canada opened tournament play May 2 with a 26-14 win over the ninth-ranked U.S. New Zealand defeated No. 6 Australia 38-12 in its tournament opener last Saturday in Newcastle, Australia.
Australia hosted the U.S. in Canberra later Saturday.
Canada closes out the tournament against Australia at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on May 23. That same day, New Zealand plays the U.S. in Auckland.
The Pacific Four Series marks the Canadian women's first time together this year ahead of the World Cup, which runs Aug. 22 to Sept. 27 in England. Canada has been drawn in Pool B with No. 7 Scotland, No. 10 Wales and No. 16 Fiji.
Canada went into Saturday's game with a lineup reinforced by players from the sevens side that finished third at the HSBC SVNS World Championship.
New Zealand star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, coming out of international retirement, started on the wing in her first international 15s game since the World Cup final in November 2022.
Canada also won the inaugural Pacific Four Series in 2021, when the event consisted of a two-game series with the U.S. due to COVID travel restrictions. The Canadians finished runner-up to New Zealand in 2022 and 2023 when the tournament was expanded to four teams.
Canada has an 11-5-1 record since losing 36-0 to France in the third-place game at the World Cup in November 2022. Four of those losses were to England, with the other to New Zealand.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2025
The Canadian Press
