London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 01, 2026

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
Andy Burnham has Announces Plans to Redistribute Income Tax Revenue to English Mayors
Early-Release Scheme Faces Fresh Scrutiny as Reoffending and Prison Recalls Rise
Police Phone Checks Followed Report on Murder of MI5 Agent Inside Sinn Féin
Archbishop of Canterbury Reaffirms £100 Million Reparative Justice Fund During Ghana Visit
Charities Allege French Police Used Tear Gas Against Channel Migrants
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Iran-Linked Murder Plot in Britain
Christian Organisations File Charity Complaints Against Amnesty International UK
Ofgem Tightens Grid Connection Rules for New Data Centres
FTSE 100 Reaches Record High Despite Global Technology Sell-Off
Millions of UK Households Urged to Check Eligibility for Winter Energy Discount
Labour Restores Parliamentary Whips to Diane Abbott and Joani Reid
UK Supreme Court to Hear Challenge Over Palestine Action Ban
UK Commits More Than £8.4 Billion to Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Programme
England Declares Severe Drought as Wildfire Burns Near Sizewell Nuclear Site
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Risks
Drought Status Extended Across All of Wales as Heat and Dry Weather Deepen Environmental Strain
Record-Low Danube Exposes Probable Mammoth Remains in Bulgaria
UK Business Confidence Climbs to Four-Month High
Greater Manchester Gains Expanded Powers Under Regional Funding Reforms
UK Supreme Court to Hear Appeal Over Palestine Action Terror Ban
Shell's Quarterly Profit Doubles to Nearly $10 Billion on Higher Energy Prices
UK Government Removes VAT From Household Electricity Bills
Exceptional Drought Grips Half of England as Wildfire Threatens Sizewell
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Risks Persist
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
The chief executive of the popular gaming company laid off many employees and his pay rose to 38 million dollars
UK Employment Holds Steady as Wage Growth Remains Moderate
England to Introduce Artificial Intelligence into Secondary School Curriculum
Wales Launches £1.2 Billion Industrial Regeneration Programme
High Court Upholds UK Digital Surveillance Framework
Northern Ireland Reaches Budget Agreement on Infrastructure and Public Sector Pay
Home Office Expands Digital Border Checks Nationwide
UK Approves Major North Sea Wind and Carbon Capture Project
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
Scotland Approves Major Renewable Energy Expansion
UK and United States Sign AI and Semiconductor Cooperation Pact
UK Treasury Tightens Fiscal Controls After Gilt Market Volatility
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 4.5%
UK Unveils £10 Billion NHS Funding Overhaul and Workforce Reform
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Prince Harry Faces Significant Legal Costs After Insurance Shortfall
FirstGroup Sells Rail Software Business to Tracsis for £48 Million
Victoria and Albert Museum Staff Vote for Strike Action
Norwegian Teenager Convicted Over Contract Killing Plot in Britain
Royal Mail Raises Bulk Mailing Prices by 30%
Immigration Remains Britain's Top Public Concern, Ipsos Survey Finds
Prime Minister Says Social Care Reform Must Precede Assisted Dying Legislation
×