Kiwi Ferns beat Fiji in Rugby League World Cup opener

The Kiwi Ferns secured an 18-12 victory against Fiji in their Rugby League World Cup opener at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle. The win was decided late in the match after Fiji held a 12-10 halftime lead, marking the first time a team other than Australia has held a halftime advantage over the Ferns at a World Cup.

Stacey Waaka, making her Kiwi Ferns debut, scored two tries in the first half. She recorded 157 run metres and two line breaks during the match. Leianne Tufuga scored the decisive try in the final two minutes following a chip kick from Raecene McGregor.

Zahara Temara, making her debut for the Ferns, kicked a penalty to level the score and a subsequent penalty to give New Zealand a 14-12 lead with five minutes remaining. Fiji's tries were scored by Losana Lutu and Sienna Laing.

The match was marked by significant errors from the Kiwi Ferns, who recorded 14 errors and 25 missed tackles. Fiji finished the game with only one healthy player on the interchange bench following injuries and a head injury assessment.

How it developed

• Sun 18 Oct, 5:41pmThe Kiwi Ferns won the match 18-12 after trailing for much of the second half.
• Sun 18 Oct, 5:44pmThe match was described as an unconvincing win for the Kiwi Ferns due to high error rates.

Where reports differ

• One report notes the match was decided from the kicking tee, while another specifies the exact scoreline and scorers.

Compiled from reports by The Post, RNZ, NZ Herald, Newsroom and Stuff.