The lack of international competition during the COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty for every team.
A night after Fiji’s men clinched back-to-back Olympic golds, the Pacific island nation’s women’s team shocked Canada 26-12. Fiji piled on 21 points before the 2016 bronze medalists could respond.
The British women took an equally unexpected lead with three quick tries against New Zealand, but the Black Ferns responding like competition favorites should and rallied for a 26-21 victory.
Three tries to winger Michaela Blyde and one to Tyla Nathan-Wong quickly restored order and New Zealand finished Thursday atop Pool A.
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“It was our mistakes that kept them in the game. When you don’t have the ball, you can’t score,” Nathan-Wong said. “That’s something we will clean up going into tomorrow. We know what it is, it’s not something we’re trying to guess: ‘Oh my gosh, what happened here?’