Jillaroos upset Kiwi Ferns

The Jillaroos upset the Kiwi Ferns to claim the women's rugby league Test 22-14 at Suncorp Stadium.

A hat-trick on debut by centre Mahalia Murphy helped the Jillaroos upset the Kiwi Ferns 22-14 in their postponed women's rugby league Test at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

Murphy capped her try-scoring haul with a stunning 65m effort from dummy half to ice the result in the 72nd minute.

Delayed 48 hours after torrential rain cancelled Friday night's trans-Tasman Test program, the women's clash between the fierce rivals proved worth the wait.

Kiwi Ferns back-rower Teuila Fotu-Moala pulled off some of the most brutal hits seen at State of Origin venue Suncorp Stadium while Jillaroos pivot Jenny-Sue Hoepper showed touches of class for the hosts.

Trailing 10-4 at the break, the Kiwi Ferns levelled the scores after reserve Maitua Feterika ran off captain Laura Mariu to crash over near the posts in the 52nd minute.

But Murphy found another gear, latching onto a Hoepper pass to score in the 64th minute before her dazzling 65m effort.

Kiwi Ferns hooker Sharnita Woodman scored a consolation try on fulltime.

The hosts led 10-4 at halftime after tries to Hoepper (5th) and Murphy (16th).

The only down-side for the Jillaroos was losing fullback Samantha Hammond at halftime with a suspected broken leg.

The Jillaroos are world champions after ending New Zealand's string of three straight World Cup wins at the 2013 tournament.

However, they were underdogs for the match after losing the last Test played between the two nations in 2014 and their Auckland Nines series 2-1 this year.


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Source: AAP


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