New Zealand 54-8 Spain
Black Ferns await news on Leti-I’iga and Olsen-Baker
New Zealand are up and running in their Rugby World Cup defence but their performance was marred by injuries to Kaipo Olsen-Baker, who was helped off the pitch with a worrying leg issue, and the star winger Ayesha Leti-I’iga.
It blighted a fairly positive outing for the six-time winners which saw World Cup record try-scorer Portia Woodman-Wickliffe adding to her tally after being introduced in the second half.
The Black Ferns are used to getting the job done at World Cup tournaments and the reigning champions were expected to win by a country mile in their opener against Spain, who lost 97-7 against England in a warm-up match this month. New Zealand did just that, but the scoreboard did not sufficiently tell the story of this game, where at times the Black Ferns were undone by their own mistakes.
