New Zealand defeated Fiji 18-12, overcoming early struggles to secure victory in their World Cup opener.
New Zealand has come-from-behind to open their campaign with an 18-12 victory in the face of a spirited World Cup debut from an impressive Fiji Bulikula side.
The Kiwi Ferns trailed 12-4 during the first half as poor handling and discipline counted against them, but stayed in the grind, taking two penalties to hit the lead before the match sealing try from Leianne Tufuga with three minutes remaining.
New Zealand had the early ascendency when Stacey Waaka scored after two minutes, but it was short-lived as the Bulikula recovered from a nervous start to heap the pressure on the Kiwi Ferns.
Fiji held sway of possession and field position while asserting physicality in defence and eventually got their reward after 21 minutes.
A barnstorming run and quick play-the-ball from powerful interchange...