England beat New Zealand 26–19 at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 26 September after Zoe Harrison intercepted a pass with the last play of the game and ran in the winning try. The Red Roses Black Ferns clash was level at 19–19 until Harrison’s score, which kept the world champions unbeaten in the WXV Global Series. A crowd of 59,871 watched the finish, according to RugbyPass.
The win came a week after England’s long winning run ended in a 26–26 draw with Canada. New Zealand, by contrast, suffered their first defeat of the northern tour.
Zoe Harrison’s Last-Gasp Intercept
Harrison’s winning moment came straight after a costly miss. The England fly-half had missed a penalty from around 40 metres with only minutes left, RugbyPass reported.
Straight after that miss, she stayed in the defensive line and read a pass from Amy du Plessis meant for Braxton Sorensen-McGee. Harrison picked it off, raced clear and then converted her own try. “I felt I had to make up for it somehow,” she told RugbyPass.
England’s four tries came from Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, Ellie Kildunne, Jess Breach and Harrison, according to the official Black Ferns match report. New Zealand replied through du Plessis, Ayesha Leti-I’iga and Mererangi Paul.
How the Black Ferns Pushed the Red Roses All the Way
New Zealand led 12–7 at half-time and controlled much of the territory. As a result, England had to make 283 tackles, compared with 95 for the visitors, the Black Ferns reported.
Back-row forward Maddie Feaunati was named player of the match despite the defeat. Meanwhile, Leti-I’iga carried the ball 16 times for 98 metres. “In the end we ended up taking that space away from them,” Feaunati said of England’s attack, as quoted by RugbyPass.
However, the visitors could not hold on for a draw. The result was particularly painful because the Black Ferns had won their first two WXV games convincingly, beating France 28–14 in Lyon and Scotland 66–14 in Edinburgh.
What the Red Roses Black Ferns Result Means
The victory kept England’s unbeaten run alive after the Canada draw at Sandy Park. That streak dates back to March 2023 and includes their 2025 Rugby World Cup final win over Canada, according to RugbyPass.
It also extended England’s recent dominance in this fixture. Before Saturday, the Red Roses had won the previous four meetings, most recently 49–31 in October 2024. New Zealand still lead the overall head-to-head, having won 19 of the first 33 Tests.
We previewed the game in detail last week. Read our England vs New Zealand preview for the form guide and team news going in.
France Beat Canada 21–5 in La Rochelle
Elsewhere on Saturday, France beat Canada 21–5 in La Rochelle. Emilie Boulard scored twice and Alexandra Chambon added a third try, while Lizzie Gibson crossed for Canada, Canada’s national sport information centre reported.
Canada head coach Kevin Rouet admitted his side had not performed at their best. Still, he said the squad remained hungry for a win against England. France’s result followed their dramatic 29–26 comeback win over Australia.
What’s Next in the WXV Global Series
England now head across the Atlantic for two Tests against Canada. The first is in Toronto on 16 October, followed by Ottawa on 23 October, according to the fixture announcement published by the SIRC.
New Zealand, meanwhile, will face France in the first of three meetings with Les Bleues later in October, RugbyPass reported.
