Black Ferns beaten by England on last-gasp intercept
The Black Ferns have been beaten by the England Red Roses 26 to 19 at Twickenham with a last minute intercept giving the home side the victory.
The New Zealand side were ahead 12-7 at halftime before England stepped up their intensity, particularly in defence in the second half.
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England regained the lead when Ellie Kildunne burst clear, and Jess Breach stretched their lead to 19-12 as they took advantage of a yellow card for Black Ferns prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu for a high tackle on Marlie Packer.
Mererangi Paul crossed the line next as New Zealand rallied back to 19-all with 10 minutes remaining in the WXV Global Series contest.
But in the dying stages, England's Zoe Harrison who had missed a potentially winning penalty was able to intercept a pass from Amy Du Plessis as New Zealand chose to run the ball from their own line in a final attempt to snatch victory.
Harrison jumped at the opportunity, crossing the line to score, before being mobbed by her England teammates.
The test was played in front of 50 thousand vocal fans with no player i the Black Ferns over 27 years old.
The defeat was Whitney Hansen's first loss in charge of the Black Ferns.
The team now return home to face France in Hamilton on Saturday 17 October.
