Clinical Australia Claim Record Fourth Women’s World Cup in Ruthless Final Display

Australia delivered a ruthless opening half against New Zealand, converting a steady supply of handling errors and ill-discipline from their opponents — along with some tentative defending — into three tries inside the first 40 minutes.

Chapman beat three defenders on the left flank to put Australia ahead after only 125 seconds, then finished a sweeping move in the same corner after Shaylee Bent carved open the New Zealand line from close range to set up the Jillaroos’ second.

Jess Sergis crossed for a fourth try after covering the full length of the field, although replays suggested a forward pass in the build-up, before Shannon Mato replied for New Zealand, capitalising on consecutive Australian infringements.

The Jillaroos quickly reasserted control. Chapman shrugged off several tackles to score from 60 metres and complete her hat-trick, and moments later a neat sequence down the right edge allowed Abbi Church to release Tamika Upton for an easy finish beneath the posts.

Head coach Jess Skinner’s call to hand the stand-off role to Jesse Southwell ahead of Jocelyn Kelleher proved a shrewd one, as the young half converted five of her six attempts at goal, two of them from the left touchline.

Still, the afternoon belonged to Chapman. Named player of the match, the 24-year-old has battled a run of physical setbacks, including a spinal fracture in February 2025, as well as considerable off-field scrutiny of her personal life.

“She’s so young — it’s quite scary,” said captain Isabelle Kelly. “As a centre, your job is to provide for your winger. Every single time she’s there, she executes and finishes to such a high standard.

“The fact she was able to get that down with three girls on her is incredible. Once you get her strides going, she’s very hard to stop.

“She’s had a lot of stuff going on the last few years and she’s really stepped up and owned that position.”

Australia’s intensity dropped noticeably after the break, with Tarryn Aiken the only genuine threat — and even she was denied by a crucial try-saving tackle from Georgia Hale.

New Zealand deserve credit for a much-improved defensive effort in the second half, but their attacking struggles persisted. They completed barely half their sets, undone by persistent handling errors, loose passes and a failure to get stand-off Chantay Kiria-Ratu involved.

Mackenzie Wiki’s 70th-minute try was a deserved reward for the Kiwi Ferns’ resurgence, even if it proved inconsequential.

“Mixed emotions — we obviously came with high hopes of playing really well,” said New Zealand coach Ricky Henry.

“It was a game of two halves and that’s the frustrating part for us. We were able to get it back together in the second half but it was too little, too late.

“We didn’t handle the speed of the game at the start. They got on top and from there, we couldn’t regroup and get our rhythm.”

Source link