Black Ferns beat England

World champions New Zealand have beaten England 16-3 in a women's rugby international this morning (NZ time).

The match, the first of a three-match series, was the first between the two sides since the 2006 Rugby World Cup final.

The second match of the series, at Twickenham next weekend, is the curtainraiser to the men's England v All Blacks match.

England coach Gary Street is adamant that England can be second time lucky in seven days time.

"This game was a real fact finder for us ahead of the World Cup in 2010, and more immediately next Saturday. We are not a side that lose often, and despite that I am upbeat. We have found out today that they are not super human and we are certainly ready to fight again next Saturday.

"I would have liked better playing conditions today. For 30 minutes of the game we were only 3-0 down, and if we had matched that I think it would have been a different story. Instead we made errors and they added a second penalty and a try just before half time. Then we were left chasing our tails."

New Zealand led 13-0 at halftime.

Scorers:

New Zealand: Amiria Rule try; Rebecca Mahoney three penalties, conversion.

England: Katy McLean penalty.

- © Fairfax NZ News