Black Ferns v Red Roses: A Rivalry in Numbers
The Black Ferns and Red Roses meet at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 26 September (kick-off 3pm BST, 3am NZT Sunday 27 September, as New Zealand’s clocks spring forward that same morning). It’s the first time these two have met since their last clash in WXV 2024, when England edged the Black Ferns 49-31. Follow the live blog HERE.
29. years since this rivalry began. The first meeting came on 13 August 1997 at Burnham, and it wasn’t close: New Zealand 67-0 England. Almost three decades on, the two sides could not be more evenly matched.
33. Tests played between the sides since that opener, the most storied fixture either team has outside their own domestic rivalries. New Zealand lead the overall series 19 wins to 13, with one draw back in 2006, and hold the edge on aggregate points too, 734 to 596.
3. consecutive wins for England heading into Saturday, an all-time record run in this fixture. The Red Roses beat the Black Ferns 33-12 in Auckland in the 2023 WXV1 final, 24-12 at this same Twickenham ground 12 months ago, then 49-31 in Canada a few weeks after that. A fourth straight win on Saturday would be uncharted territory for either side in this rivalry.
6. the number of Rugby World Cups these two have met at, and five of those meetings were finals, back to back, from 2002 through to the Black Ferns’ unforgettable 34-31 win at Eden Park in 2022. No two nations have shared a World Cup final that often. That run finally broke last year: Canada beat the Black Ferns in the semi-final of the 2025 World Cup, and England went on to lift the trophy without New Zealand for the first time in the professional era.
WATCH: Relive the best moments from the unforgettable Black Ferns Rugby World Cup 2021 campaign
82,000. the capacity of Allianz Stadium, the largest purpose-built rugby ground in the world, and the scene of the sport’s biggest ever crowd: 81,885 packed in for last year’s World Cup final between England and Canada. When these two last met here, in September 2024, 41,523 turned up, and crowds for the women’s game in England have kept climbing since.
8. straight Test wins for the Black Ferns heading into this week, backing up their 28-14 win over France in Lyon with 66-14 victory away to Scotland in Edinburgh. New Zealand arrive in London on the back of some of their best form in years, with only England now standing between them and a perfect start to the WXV Global Series.
50. tries scored by Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who retired after last year’s World Cup as the leading try-scorer in Black Ferns or All Blacks history, from 34 Tests. This will be the first Twickenham renewal of this rivalry without her in the squad, a reminder of how much both these teams have turned over since that unforgettable 2022 final.
WATCH: Check out some of Portia Woodman-Wickliffe's best moments for the Black Ferns
Whatever the numbers say beforehand, this fixture has a habit of writing its own headlines. Saturday should be no different. Follow the live blog HERE.
