London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Nov 08, 2025

Scotland out of World Cup after New Zealand loss

Scotland out of World Cup after New Zealand loss

Scotland are out of the Rugby World Cup after a heavy defeat by hosts New Zealand in Whangarei.

Renee Holmes, Ayesha Leti-l'iga, Sarah Hirini, Liana Mikaele-Tu'u, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Renee Wickliffe, and Maia Roos all crossed for the Black Ferns in a clinical performance.

Scotland improved after the break but were unable to get on the scoreboard.

It leaves Bryan Easson's side without a win after defeats by Wales and Australia.

New Zealand, roared on by a passionate home crowd, raced out of the blocks and scored their first try inside two minutes.

A spell of sustained pressure was eventually finished off in the corner by Holmes after some lovely hands from Fitzpatrick and Hazel Tubic.

Scotland looked stunned and the Black Ferns showed all their attacking flair - more slick handling and strong carries led to Leti-l'iga and Hirini both crossing before Mikaele-Tu'u crashed over to secure the bonus point.

There was no let-up and the fifth try was arguably their best. Fitzpatrick gathered an audacious offload from Alana Bremner and somehow grounded the ball under pressure from several Scottish defenders.

Scotland can count themselves unfortunate for the sixth try - Tubic's pass to release Wickliffe looked well forward, but the referee allowed play to continue and the winger jinked past two would-be tacklers to score.

Wickliffe then strolled over for her second right on the stroke of half-time to finish a one-sided first 40.

Scotland looked a different outfit after the break though, building phases and posing New Zealand questions for the first time.

Shona Campbell was bright with ball in hand and twice Scotland came within metres of the home tryline only to see possession snatched away.

They were also able to shore things up defensively, showing all of the grit and fight that characterised their first two group games.

New Zealand did cross through Roos, but it took a superb offload from Natalie Delamere to unlock the Scottish defence.

Another brilliant move led to Sylvia Brunt running over the top of Liz Musgrove and feed Holmes to score New Zealand's ninth try of the game and put the polish on an impressive win.

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson: "We got caught cold a little bit, but second half we kept the ball so much better. It shows what they're all about.

"We're ready to kick on again and we want to be back on this stage. The two losing bonus points could have been two wins - that's how close we are."


Line-ups


New Zealand: Holmes; Wickliffe, Du Plessis, Fitzpatrick, Leti-l'iga; Tubic, Marino-Tauhinu; Love, Ponsonby, Rule, Ngan-Woo, Roos, Bremner, Hirini, Mikaele-Tu'u.

Replacements: Delamere, Murray, Kalounivale, Bremner, Reynolds, Cocksedge, Brunt, Demant.

Scotland: Campbell; Lloyd, Orr, Thomson, Smith; Nelson, Mattinson; Wright, Skeldon, Belisle, Wassell, Bonar, Malcolm (capt), McLachlan, Konkel-Roberts.

Replacements: Rettie, Bartlett, Dougan, O'Donnell, McMillan, McDonald, Smith, Musgrove.

Referee: Aurelie Groizeleau

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
UK Tenant Complaints Hit Record Levels as Rental Sector Faces Mounting Pressure
Apple to Pay Google About One Billion Dollars Annually for Gemini AI to Power Next-Generation Siri
UK Signals Major Shift as Nuclear Arms Race Looms
BBC’s « Celebrity Traitors UK » Finale Breaks Records with 11.1 Million Viewers
UK Spy Case Collapse Highlights Implications for UK-Taiwan Strategic Alignment
On the Road to the Oscars? Meghan Markle to Star in a New Film
A Vote Worth a Trillion Dollars: Elon Musk’s Defining Day
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
President Donald Trump Challenges Nigeria with Military Options Over Alleged Christian Killings
Nancy Pelosi Finally Announces She Will Not Seek Re-Election, Signalling End of Long Congressional Career
UK Pre-Budget Blues and Rate-Cut Concerns Pile Pressure on Pound
ITV Warns of Nine-Per-Cent Drop in Q4 Advertising Revenue Amid Budget Uncertainty
National Grid Posts Slightly Stronger-Than-Expected Half-Year Profit as Regulatory Investments Drive Growth
UK Business Lobby Urges Reeves to Break Tax Pledges and Build Fiscal Headroom
UK to Launch Consultation on Stablecoin Regulation on November 10
UK Savers Rush to Withdraw Pension Cash Ahead of Budget Amid Tax-Change Fears
Massive Spoilers Emerge from MAFS UK 2025: Couple Swaps, Dating App Leaks and Reunion Bombshells
Kurdish-led Crime Network Operates UK Mini-Marts to Exploit Migrants and Sell Illicit Goods
UK Income Tax Hike Could Trigger £1 Billion Cut to Scotland’s Budget, Warns Finance Secretary
Tommy Robinson Acquitted of Terror-related Charge After Phone PIN Dispute
Boris Johnson Condemns Western Support for Hamas at Jewish Community Conference
HII Welcomes UK’s Westley Group to Strengthen AUKUS Submarine Supply Chain
Tragedy in Serbia: Coach Mladen Žižović Collapses During Match and Dies at 44
Diplo Says He Dated Katy Perry — and Justin Trudeau
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Trump Calls Title Removal of Andrew ‘Tragic Situation’ Amid Royal Fallout
UK Bonds Rally as Chancellor Reeves Briefs Markets Ahead of November Budget
UK Report Backs Generational Smoking Ban Ahead of Tobacco & Vapes Bill Review
UK’s Domino’s Pizza Group Reports Modest Like-for-Like Sales Growth in Q3
UK Supplies Additional Storm Shadow Missiles to Ukraine as Trump Alleges Russian Underground Nuclear Tests
High-Profile Broodmare Puca Sells for Five Million Dollars at Fasig-Tipton ‘Night of the Stars’
Wilt Chamberlain’s One-of-a-Kind ‘Searcher 1’ Supercar Heads to Auction
Erling Haaland’s Remarkable Run: 13 Premier League Goals in 10 Matches and Eyes on History
UK Labour Peer Warns of Emerging ‘Constituency for Hating Jews’ in Britain
UK Home Secretary Admits Loss of Border Control, Warns Public Trust at Risk
President Trump Expresses Sympathy for UK Royal Family After Title Stripping of Prince Andrew
Former Prince Andrew to Lose His Last Military Title as King Charles Moves to End His Public Role
King Charles Relocates Andrew to Sandringham Estate and Strips Titles Amid Epstein Fallout
Two Arrested After Mass Stabbing on UK Train Leaves Ten Hospitalised
Glamour UK Says ‘Stay Mad Jo x’ After Really Big Rowling Backlash
Former Prince Prince Andrew Faces Possible U.S. Congressional Appearance Over Jeffrey Epstein Inquiry
UK Faces £20 Billion Productivity Shortfall as Brexit’s Impact Deepens
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Eyes New Council-Tax Bands for High-Value Homes
UK Braces for Major Storm with Snow, Heavy Rain and Winds as High as 769 Miles Wide
U.S. Secures Key Southeast Asia Agreements to Reshape Rare Earth Supply Chains
US and China Agree One-Year Trade Truce After Trump-Xi Talks
BYD Profit Falls 33 % as Chinese EV Maker Doubles Down on Overseas Markets
US Philanthropists Shift Hundreds of Millions to UK to Evade Regulatory Uncertainty in Trump Era
×