Australia's Jillaroos unleash first-half blitz

First-half blitz delivers Jillaroos fourth straight World Cup

Eight Australian players topped 100 running metres as the Jillaroos secured a fourth straight World Cup, defeating the Kiwi Ferns 34-10 at Suncorp Stadium.

Jamie Chapman and Shaylee Bent scored in the opening six minutes, and Australia led 24-0 by the first-half drinks break.

Player of the match Chapman completed a first-half hat-trick, taking her tournament tally to 13 tries and her career total to 18 across 10 Tests.

Jess Sergis scored after a 70-metre run, while Tamika Upton combined with Abbi Church for a try that made it 34-6 at halftime.

The Ferns had only 42 per cent possession in the first half but lifted that figure to 50 per cent by full-time.

They prevented Australia from scoring after the break, though they could not overcome the first-half deficit.

Sergis led the match's running metres with 198, ahead of Chapman on 151 and Kelly on 142.

New Zealand's Apii Nicholls and Leianne Tufuga were the only Ferns to exceed 100 metres, with 112 and 107 respectively.

The Ferns also lost playmaker Raecene McGregor and back-rower Kaiyah Atai for head injury assessments late in the match; Nicholls sustained a hamstring injury.

The win sent prop Millie Elliott into retirement with a title, following Australia's 54-4 victory over New Zealand in the 2022 final.

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