Call up the engravers and tell them to hold fire – the Women’s Rugby League World Cup might not be as straightforward as it seemed.
Australia are still favourites to lift the trophy at Old Trafford next weekend but after they were given an almighty scare by New Zealand in York, the tournament is alive and kicking as a contest.
The Jillaroos still got it done, running out 10-8 winners in the match of the tournament so far, but they had to dig very deep to do it.
And while they’ll carry a few more bumps and bruises into the knockout stage, which begins in just four days, after the Kiwi Ferns muscled up throughout the torrid 80 minutes, they’ll likely be better for it in the long run.
Because while the start of a World Cup might be record wins over the likes of the Cook Islands and France, they sure don’t end that way.
As we speed towards that end, it’s worth remembering how much of the men’s or women’s World Cup is based around finding a team who can truly challenge Australia.
Sometimes, we can be guilty of trying a little too hard to find them and twisting an underperforming side into something they’re not capable of being in an effort to convince ourselves the inevitable will not come to pass.
But that’s not required in this case. Unless England can pull off the upset against New Zealand, or Papua New Guinea can summon a miracle against Australia in the semifinals, we’ll see a rematch of these two sides in the final.
It promises to be another gruelling physical battle and a mighty contest that truly can go either way.
New Zealand were 10-1 underdogs before kick-off, but in hindsight the signs of a near ambush were there if you were looking for them.
The Jillaroos got the win, but it was nothing like their first two victories of the World Cup.(Getty Images: Charlotte Tattersall)
The Jillaroos stars have edged to the brink of professionalism due to the improvement of the NRLW, but so have the best of the Kiwi Ferns.
And while they have a few players from outside that competition, it’s clear that some of them, like powerful centre Mele Hufanga, can cut it at the top level.
The standard of play on show was streets ahead of anything else we’ve seen so far in this World Cup as both countries went hammer and tong in the cold and blustery conditions.
In group matches like this, where the two sides are odds on to meet again later in the tournament, it can sometimes be difficult to know how much to take away from it.
Amber Hall was a deserving player of the match in a losing side.(Getty Images: Gareth Copley)
But some things are blindingly obvious, no matter when a game is played.
The best of the Kiwi Ferns — like fullback Apii Nicholls, the rugged Hufanga and bustling second-rower Amber Hall, who was correctly judged best on ground after a titanic display on both sides of the ball — are always going to be able to trouble Australia.
And if New Zealand had tightened the screws just a little – they dropped two kick-offs and prop Brianna Clark missed a conversion from practically in front – the result could have very easily been flipped.
The optimist might say this loss is one step back for the Ferns before they take two steps forward. World champions don’t peak in the group stages, and if they can only take one win over Australia through the tournament they’ll want it on the big stage.
But there’s another side to that coin – nobody can truly know if Australia were complacent or underdone or what have you, but that won’t happen again.
After the first ambush there cannot be a second because there’s no catching your opponent unawares twice in a row.
Australia might have been knocked down, but they’ve risen again and will be harder and stronger for it.
It sets the scene for a rematch that could rock the foundations of Old Trafford and potentially be one of the greatest matches in the tournament’s history, but the teams have to get there first.
While both might be favoured to win their semifinals, it’s important to hold on to the most important lesson from this match – the form guide isn’t infallible.
Source:: ABC News
