Kiwi Ferns v France: Live updates from the Rugby League World Cup clash in Christchurch

Follow the action as the Kiwi Ferns and France clash in Christchurch. Report from opening match against FijiThe Kiwi Ferns will have never been so relieved to hear the final whistle.New Zealand have managed to survive a scare from Fiji in their Rugby League World Cup opener and giving the rest of their group hope of knocking over the three-time World Cup champions.Fiji didn’t look like a team making their World Cup debut, keeping New Zealand on the back foot for most of the game and proving they deserve to be playing among the best.For the Kiwi Ferns, they will need to see a drastic improvement if they want to have any shot at lifting the World Cup for the first time since 2008.It looked to be business as usual for the Kiwi Ferns to start the game with a powerful opening set which took them to the halfway line.The Kiwi Ferns struggled against Fiji for much of their World Cup opener. Photo / Getty ImagesNew Zealand quickly forced an error to win the ball back and spun it out wide to have Stacey Waaka open her and the Kiwi Ferns’ World Cup accounts.This fast start would be the easiest that things would be for the Kiwi Ferns as Fiji gave New Zealand little room to manoeuvre.They struggled with awkward kicks from their opponents, including from kickoffs where the Fijians would make sure the ball would drop into space, forcing New Zealand to deal with the bounce.Annessa Biddle fell victim to this dropping the ball, while Shannon Mato produced another handling error when the Kiwi Ferns won the ball back.A wayward pass intercepted by Fiji swung momentum heavily in the World Cup debutants’ favour, who continued to push the Kiwi Ferns back with waves of attacks and deep kicks.New Zealand scored early, but Fiji kept them under pressure for much of the contest. Photo / Getty ImagesThe dam broke eventually thanks to a sniping effort from hooker Sereana Naitokatoka, who popped the ball up for Losana Lutu to burst over the line.Apii Nicholls attempted to inject some life into the Kiwi Ferns with a line break which brought her side deep into Fiji territory, but the defence flew up to force more mistakes and take the ball away from New Zealand.Fiji worked their way back up the field, allowing Lutu to put the ball back on her boot with a simple grubber kick and Sienna Laing putting her football skills to work by taking the ball around the defence and grounding the ball for another four-pointer.The Kiwi Ferns finished the half strong, stringing together a series of passes which opened up space for Mele Hufanga to burn through the Fiji defence and perfectly time a pass to Waaka to score her second try of the game.Fiji took a two point lead in to halftime. Photo / PhotosportZahara Temara slotted the conversion this time to have the Kiwi Ferns go into the sheds down by two points.A communication error off the kickoff set New Zealand up perfectly to start the second half as the ball bounced out of play inside the 10, but the strong Fijian defence forced the Kiwi Ferns into more mistakes and a turnover off a loose pass.No matter how much ground the Kiwi Ferns would make through their wingers, simple mistakes kept Fiji in the contest and New Zealand playing inside their own half. New Zealand started to simplify the game halfway through the second period, using their experience to slowly marshal their way up the field and start to throw waves of attacks at the goal-line.Several handling errors and penalties allowed Fiji to camp inside the Kiwi Ferns half for much of the second period. Photo / PhotosportA sign of how stubborn the Fiji defence had been was the Kiwi Ferns electing to take a shot at goal and level the score when handed a penalty in front of the posts.The Fijians suffered several injuries, but continued to frustrate New Zealand and camped out inside their attacking half and forcing their opponents into desperate tackles.A captain’s challenge saw Shannon Mato put on report for a high shot, but Naitokatoka pushed her kick from almost in front of the posts wide to keep the scores level.Desperation set in for both sides with handling errors popping up for both sides, but a costly penalty conceded by Fiji allowed New Zealand to set themselves up in the opposition half for the first time in what felt like an eon.Zahara Temara's kicking helped bring New Zealand back into the match. Photo / PhotosportThe pressure paid off with another penalty won about 20m out from the tryline, where Temara slotted her shot to put the Kiwi Ferns back in front.Experience and fitness won out for the Kiwi Ferns in the end, who stepped up to extend their lead inside the final two minutes after a cheeky dink from Raecene McGregor to Leianne Tufuga, who grounded the ball in the corner.Fiji had the chance to level the scores by collecting their kickoff, but an unfortunate error saw a knock-on as time expired and a relieved New Zealand take the two points to start their campaign.Kiwi Ferns 18 (Stacey Waaka 2, Leianne Tufuga tries; Zahara Temara con, 2 pens)Fiji Bulikula 12 (Losana Lutu, Sienna Laing tries; Sereana Naitokatoka 2 cons)Halftime: 10-12