AUCKLAND :Ayesha Leti-l'iga scored a try nine minutes from time to give New Zealand a 34-31 victory over England in a thriller of a World Cup final on Saturday as the Black Ferns claimed a sixth world title at a packed Eden Park.
England played for more than three quarters of the match with 14 women after Lydia Thompson was sent off for a reckless tackle but still looked on course for a 31st successive victory with a two-point lead going into the last 10 minutes.
Centre Stacey Fluhler chased a chip through, however, and brilliantly offloaded in the tackle to winger Leti-l'iga, who touched down for her second try to give New Zealand a lead they would not relinquish.
The victory brought an end to three years of utter dominance of women's rugby by England as well as their record winning streak, which included two thrashings of New Zealand at the end of last year."I'm so proud of our team," said New Zealand co-captain and player of the match Ruahei Demant. "Last year we went on the northern tour and we got pumped.