Key events
TRY! Jillaroos 72-0 Lionesses (Whitfield 51′)
The Jillaroos get a penalty early in the set, to add insult to injury and they power down the field. Engalnd hold them out for four tackles, but Kernick throws a brilliant cut out pass to Whitfield, who scores in the corner. Aiken misses the conversion.
GOAL! Jillaroos 68-0 Lionesses (Aiken 49′)
Another conversion for Aiken, she kicks it from right in front.
TRY! Jillaroos 66-0 Lionesses (Sergis 48′)
England throw everything at this defensive set, they look determined to limit the damage, but they can’t do more than that at this stage. In the end, they can’t even do that, as Aiken fools them again, drawing defenders in and throwing a pass left to Sergis, who easily gets through the gap to score.
GOAL! Jillaroos 62-0 Lionesses (Aiken 47′)
Right in front again and Aiken knocks it over.
TRY! Jillaroos 60-0 Lionesses (Robinson 46′)
This is very hard to keep up with, the Jillaroos cannot stop scoring. Sergis makes a break down the wing, offloads to Robinson, who beats three defenders to score.
GOAL! Jillaroos 56-0 Lionesses (Aiken 45′)
Aiken must be thanking Upton for scoring so many right in front.
TRY! Jillaroos 54-0 Lionesses (Upton 44′)
The Jillaroos make another play down field and Taufa gets through the line with a nice step around the defence. Who should be by her side but Upton? She takes the pass and crosses the line once again.
44th minute: Australia are nearly in again, but Jess Sergis (who has come on to replace Isabelle Kelly) pushes an English defender and the bunker rules no try. England get another opportunity in attack, but the Jillaroos defence remains impenetrable.
GOAL! Jillaroos 50-0 Lionesses (Aiken 41′)
Aiken makes another simple conversion and brings up the half century for Australia.
TRY! Jillaroos 48-0 Lionesses (Upton 40′)
Upton cannot be stopped, this is her fourth try in the match. I’ve run out of ways to describe them, but she once again outfoxes the England defence, gets on the inside of the defenders and scores next to the post.
GOAL! Jillaroos 44-0 Lionesses (Aiken 39′)
A simple one for Aiken to put away from right in front and she adds another two points.
TRY! Jillaroos 42-0 Lionesses (Kelly 38′)
An error from England is really not what they need right now. The Jillaroos pounce and Kelly dives over the line.
38th minute: Once again, the Jillaroos are close to the try line in the blink of an eye. Aiken puts in a kick to finish the set, but it’s too long for these very short in goals.
37th minute: Whitfield is taken from the field on a stretcher – hopefully she is OK and makes a quick recovery. England resume their attack and it’s a disciplined set from them to start the half, but they can’t break the Australian line. Upton fields the kick easily and Robinson pushes up the field to get the Jillaroos into a strong attacking position.
The half starts with a VERY big collision and head clash between Sarah Togatuki and Vicky Whitfield and there’s a break now while both players are assessed.
The second half is underway, with the Jillaroos kicking off…
It’s worth noting that the Jillaroos have had some upheaval coming into this match, with coach Brad Donald resigning less than a month ago after nine years in the role. It’s a big moment for interim coach Jess Skinner, who will be hoping this dominant performance secures her the role.
Half-time: Jillaroos 38-0 Lionesses
Well, what can I say about that first half? It was simply Jillaroos domination from start to finish. The Lionesses were forced to spend a significant portion of that half in defence, which is a very tiring position to be in. Australia were ruthless, not giving an inch in defence and constantly asking questions in attack, finding new ways to break England’s defence and spirits in every set. England will need a big rest and to find something special in the second half if they want to be in this game.
TRY! Jillaroos 38-0 Lionesses (Robinson 34′)
Right on the stroke of half-time, Aiken sets up yet another try – her fourth assist of the game. Kelly loops around the outside of the defence and scores in the corner. Brigginshaw takes over the kicking duties, but she can’t slot the goal either.
33rd minute: Another set for the Jillaroos and the Lionesses look like half-time can’t come soon enough. They are dead on their feet out there. Not enough Bondi to Coogee walks perhaps? They hold the Jillaroos out and get the ball back, but almost immediately lose it.
TRY! Jillaroos 34-0 Lionesses (Kelly 30′)
Aiken puts on a masterclass of playmaking, with a step and a dummy that draws two defenders and creates a gap that she puts Kelly through. Kelly steps on the accelerator and makes the line with ease. The conversion is missed again – the only area of the Jillaroos’ game that hasn’t quite clicked is their goal kicking.
3oth minute: It’s a decent set for England, but Roach puts in a kick that’s just too deep at the end of the set, to give the Jillaroos a seven tackle set. Togatuki comes off the field, but it’s no respite for England, as Mato replaces her, who has also been excellent today.
29th minute: Togatuki starts the set strongly with a massive hit up to draw in four England defenders. Brigginshaw is tackled awkwardly, but recovers quickly. Aiken puts up a huge bomb, which is dropped by Davies, the England winger, but the Australian chasers are ruled to be offiside and England get the penalty.
TRY! Jillaroos 30-0 Lionesses (Upton 25′)
Robinson turns her defender inside out and gets the ball to Upton. Hardcastle makes the tackle attempt, but she can’t stop Upton from powering to the tryline. Aiken can’t add the two points, but the Jillaroos are not too concerned at this stage.
25th minute: England get close to Australia’s line again, but the play they attempt on the sixth tackle doesn’t come off and they hand the ball back for the Jillaroos to march down field once again. Brigginshaw’s kick at the end of the set is slightly too big and goes dead in goal, so England start from the 20m line.
23rd minute: Another break from Penitani looks like a certain try, but a wayward pass slows down the rampant Jillaroos. They attack the line again, but England jump on the ball. The Jillaroos force a line drop out and a huge tackle sees the ball pop out, so the Lionesses get the ball back and head down field. The game is paused as there appears to have been shoulder contact on the head of Togatuki in that huge tackle, but the bunker clears it and England play on.
21st minute: Kernick makes a great break, but loses the ball and England go on the counter attack. Dagger looks like she’ll score, but the Jillaroos scramble to defence and manage to pull her down 10m short of the line. They go hard at the line, but the Jillaroos’ defence is like a brick wall.
GOAL! Jillaroos 26-0 Lionesses (Aiken 18′)
Another simple conversion for Aiken to push the Jillaroos further ahead.
TRY! Jillaroos 24-0 Lionesses (Upton 17′)
The Lionesses just can’t get their hands on the ball at the moment and all this time in defence is having a big impact. Isabelle Kelly burns her opposing centre, gets the ball to Upton, who uses a step to get on the outside of the defence and scores.
GOAL! Jillaroos 20-0 Lionesses (Aiken 15′)
Another simple kick for Aiken and she adds to England’s pain.
TRY! Jillaroos 18-0 Lionesses (Mato 14′)
It’s hard to keep up with this much try-scoring action! Penitani makes a break and suddenly the Jillaroos are deep in Lionesses’ territory once again. England nearly force a handover on tackle six, but the Jillaroos get it back to Aiken who puts in a beautiful kick for Mato to dive on and they score again.
GOAL! Jillaroos 14-0 Lionesses (Aiken 13′)
And easy kick this time for Aiken and she slots it over the black dot.
TRY! Jillaroos 12-0 Lionesses (Upton 12′)
The Jillaroos can’t be stopped – they power down the field and Aiken puts in a beautiful little spiral kick to set up the try for Upton under the posts.
12 mins: No mistake from the kick off for the Jillaroos and they power back down the field.
TRY! Jillaroos 8-0 Lionesses (Penitani 9′)
Some great footwork by Kezie Apps sets up a big break down the middle of the field. Apps is tackled five metres out from the line, but quick ball movement gets the ball out to Penitani in the centres and she dives over. The conversion is missed again.
10th minute: The Lionesses are throwing everything at the Jillaroos, swinging the ball from right to left and back again, but Australia’s defence on the tryline is strong and England are tackled on the sixth and must hand the ball over. The Jillaroos get back on the attack.
8th minute: An error from the kick off sees Clydsdale lose the ball in a tackle and England get the scrum feed 30m out from Australia’s line.
TRY! Jillaroos 4-0 Lionesses (Robinson, 5′)
A huge break along the wing from Jakiya Whitfield started the momentum for the Jillaroos, with Whitfield drawing a penalty and Robinson making a break on the other wing to sprint and score in the corner. The conversion is missed, but the Jillaroos are looking confident.
4th minute: It’s a disciplined set from England, but the grubber kick at the end of the set easily finds Aiken who scoops it up to get the Jillaroos moving back down the field. Brigginshaw tests the England team again with a high kick, but they’re up to challenge so far.
2nd minute: A strong start from the Jillaroos, with a great opening set, finishing with a good kick from Aiken, but it’s taken well by the Lionesses. But early in the set, Clydsdale gives away a penalty and they get a full set inside the Jillaroos’ half.
Kick off!
The Lionesses kick off and we’re underway in this women’s Test!
Megan Maurice
Hello rugby league fans! I’m jumping in to relieve Angus for this next game, which is sure to be massive as the Australian Jillaroos take on the English Lionesses. It’s a huge moment in women’s sport, as this will be the first professional women’s match played at Allegiant Stadium. Looking forward to seeing what the teams have got for us today!
FULL TIME: Canberra Raiders 30 – 8 New Zealand Warriors.
That’s a great win for the Raiders and it sends a real warning shot to the competition in 2025. They were ruthless in that first half and dominated possession with over 60% of the ball. Moreover, they had all the ideas too, with Corey Horsburgh superb in his scheming and an abundance of big, strong, fast flyers chiming in to capitalise on his stealth. Sebastian Kris was superb and winger Xavier Savage bagged a double, including a 90-metre intercept that broke Warriors hearts. Jamal Fogarty outscored New Zealand on his own, kicking five from six.
The Warriors will be gutted by that display. They badly missed their talisman Dallin Watene-Zelezniak who is sidelined with a wrist injury. Former captain Tohu Harris was also a big absentee with the New Zealanders looking rudderless and impotent. Jackson Ford walked off with his head high after a brave effort in defence and Dylan Walker tried some new tricks from the old dog playbook that sparked a few attacking flurries. Even in a side back pedalling for much of the game, Luke Metcalf didn’t do enough at halfback. His kicking game was tepid and his running game was non-existent. That’s a problem area for the Warriors in 2025.
That result marks the Raiders largest round one victory since 2019 when they walloped the Gold Coast Titans 21-0. For the Warriors, it’s a little big of unwelcome history too: that 30-8 scoreline marks their biggest-ever defeat in a season opener.
76th minute: Canberra Raiders 30 – 8 New Zealand Warriors. Joe Tapine is out of the sin bin for that shoulder charge on Mitch Barnett and has returned to the field for the final five minutes. His teammates welcome him back with a breather as Jamal Fogarty lines up the penalty kick. It is successful off the boot and that gives him five from six today.
75th minute: Canberra Raiders 28 – 8 New Zealand Warriors. The Warriors win another set restart but squander it with a kick that’s way too long. Xavier Savage gets up arguing that he’s been squirrel gripped in the tackle but thankfully we don’t go to the slow-motion replay to confirm that claim. Instead they get a penalty for a rake in the tackle.
TRY! Canberra Raiders 28 – 8 New Zealand Warriors.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck scores for the Warriors! That’s four tries in four games against the Raiders and a welcome one for the Kiwis who have finally made their one-man advantage pay. Big Roger just bumped through a tired Sebastien Kris on that occasion and crashed over in the corner. Alas, it’s too little too late for the Warriors and Luke Metcalf misses the conversion attempt.
73rd minute: Canberra Raiders 28 – 4 New Zealand Warriors. The excitement is starting to show on both sides as the adrenaline fades and the afterburners run dry. Raiders star Sebastien Kris, weary from his try scoring feats today, has knocked on this time the Warriors look to have scored through Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.
69th minute: Canberra Raiders 28 – 4 New Zealand Warriors. Simi Sasagi is on for the Raiders and star on the rise Demitric Vaimauga is on for the Warriors. We have our first cramp for the season. Pickle juice emergency pending! Play goes on as the Warriors cross the halfway. On the rare occasions they’ve ventured into enemy territory they haven’t had much strike power. They go close here but James Fisher-Harris is stopped short. Good desperation by the Raiders.
64th minute: Canberra Raiders 28 – 4 New Zealand Warriors. We have a blatant shoulder charge by Raider Joseph Tapine on Mitch Barnett.. The Americans in the crowd are enjoying that clash of titans but that was silly play and it means a stint in the sin bin and probably a couple of weeks punishment in the offing for Tapine.
60th minute: Canberra Raiders 28 – 4 New Zealand Warriors. Chanel Harris-Tavita is trying to put a bit of starch in this Warriors outfit. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad saves another near try with a last-man tackle on Savelio Tamale following a long break and then manages to strip the ball one-on-one. Warriors look tired and rusty. There’s more bad news in the form of fresh legs for the Raiders as Tom Starling goes to the bench and Owen Pattie is on for a taste of Vegas footy and a very special NRL debut.
TRY! Canberra Raiders 28 – 4 New Zealand Warriors.
Canberra Raiders are too far gone now! That was a good inside work by Xavier Savage who tipped it onto Zak Hosking and put Matthew Timoko into space to burn the Warriors on the outside, breaking through a would-be tackle from Chanel Harris-Tavita before standing up Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad for his 25th career try. Fogarty converts to make it 22 points the difference.
56th minute: Canberra Raiders 22 – 4 New Zealand Warriors. The Raiders have crossed but the ball carrier has run through a hole created by an obstruction. Zac Hosking is the culprit there. He took the player out.
52nd minute: Canberra Raiders 16 – 4 New Zealand Warriors. Has Roger Tuivasa-Sheck scored? He may have got a finger on that kick from Chanel Harris-Tavita. We’re going upstairs to find out and yes… but no. As in Yes Tuivasa-Sheck did get a finger on the ball but No, he didn’t score. He knocked it forward under pressure from Xavier Savage.
50th minute: Canberra Raiders 16 – 4 New Zealand Warriors. Good defence from Jackson Ford and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck stops the Raiders roll but Josh Papalii rumbles into bend the line Canberra’s way. They kick high and chase hard. The Warriors are pinned in their own half but they can’t drop their heads yet. They force the issue and kick beautifully to force a goal line kick off and win a fresh set. Still hope for the Kiwis!
TRY! Canberra Raiders 22-4 New Zealand Warriors
Sebastian Kris has been awarded the try! That gets the Raiders rolling in the second half and puts the Warriors further into the doldrums. Plenty of time left yet but the fact the Warriors have only had 45 percent of the ball and missed 32 tackles doesn’t bode well.