A bumper crowd witnessed 17 tries scored in the final round of the Women's Rugby World Cup pool matches at the Northland Events Centre and Kiwi fans are expected to return in numbers for the knockout stages this weekend.
Except for the tight Australia-Wales match, the floodgates opened during the Black Ferns and Scotland and the France and Fiji games on Saturday and with the sheer number of tries came those bone-crunching tackles and slick passing and running.
The weather gods played their part and it all made for an exciting day of free-flowing rugby.
The Black Ferns ran in nine tries in their 57-0 demolition of Scotland with wing Renee Wickliffe and fullback Renee Holmes each scoring a brace while Maia Roos, Liana Mikaele-Tu'u, Sarah Hirini, Ayesha Leti-I'iga and Theresa Fitzpatrick scored one each.
Captain Arihiana Marino-Tauhinu dedicated the win to the next generation of Northlanders while acknowledging the support at the ground from her home province.
"If you look at the context that this is going to be a pathway and an actual career for young girls coming from the north, that can only be a good thing, another option and another career path for them and a great way to build friendships that last forever," Marino-Tauhinu said post-match.
Renee Wickliffe dives for one of Black Ferns nine tries en route to a 57-0 demolition of Scotland.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
The score, she said, didn't really show how hard the game was and she was unfazed by who her side played in the quarter-final in Whangārei.
"It will be a spectacle regardless of who we play. All of the games have been amazing. Fast, quick rugby and everyone will enjoy it. So, get on down, come and support us. And thank you for Whangārei once again."
Scotland mentor Bryan Easson said close losses in the first two games against Wales and Australia without getting any bonus points made the difference for his side in the end.
"It's been three really difficult games for us, but we've learnt a lot of lessons and you know, it's the first time in 12 years we've been at this World Cup, so we've learnt lessons and we certainly will be back."
Black Ferns' Krystal Murray from Kaitaia is all smiles as she warms up in front of her home fans at the Northland Events Centre.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Scotland are out of the tournament, together with first-timers Fijiana after losing 44-0 to France in the last match, in front of thousands of supporters draped in Fijian flags.
"We spent a lot of time in their half and it was hard to come back to our half. As a team we struggled a lot to get ourselves together, defensively and offensively, and we know that," captain Asinate Serevi said.
Coach Senirusi Seruvakula said playing against top-tier nations showed the gulf between Island nations that played few tests each year and the teams like New Zealand and England.
"For us to come here and play against England and play against France and South Africa, we're all so privileged because this is the only time for us to play against big nations like this," Seruvakula said.
Australia's Layne Morgan sets up play from the base of the ruck in their win over Wales.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Australia go through to the knockout stages after withstanding a late onslaught from Wales to win 13-7.
"Our defensive skills in the last 10 minutes were a true test of our character. We have been working really hard on our defensive systems and it's really good to see it paying off out there," captain Shannon Parry said.
The Wallaroos' only try was scored by halfback Iliseva Batibasaga, who picked up the ball at the base of a ruck and looked one way then another before darting straight down the middle to score under the posts in just the fourth minute.
Australia and the Black Ferns qualify from Pool A while Wales may also get through depending on the results of the game played yesterday.
In Pool B, Canada was in pole position with one game to spare while the USA and Italy were joint second. France and England have qualified from Pool C.
