Black Ferns wing Ayesha Leti-l'iga scored two tries in the final against England to seal a sixth Kiwi title

SINCE WE had to wait an extra year for the 2021 World Cup to come around, it was only right that the winners went big with their celebrations.

- JOSH GRAHAM

And New Zealand certainly didn’t disappoint on that front. The party was worth the wait as the Black Ferns retained their crown on home soil.

“A few of us girls actually went on a bender, on an eight-day bender,” Ayesha Leti-l'iga tells Rugby World. “ I mean not many people get to win a World Cup; It’s not every day you get to win a World Cup at home and I felt like we just needed to celebrate that and be in the moment.”

The winger had a big hand in ensuring the champagne was on ice for the home side despite starting the final on the bench.

The game turned dramatically when England, at 14-0 up, had Lydia Thompson sent off after 17 minutes for a high tackle on Portia Woodman.

Woodman was forced off and on came Leti-l'iga to score two tries which helped the Black Ferns repel favourites England, previously unbeaten in 30 successive Tests, to win a sixth World Cup.

So what was the highlight of those eight days of celebrations back in November 2022?

“We watched our World Cup final every day and we cried every day too. And we celebrated it. So, yeah, that was the highlight.”

Leti-l'iga’s second try, which came from a terrific Stacey Fluhler offload after she had collected Theresa Fitzpatrick’s stabbed kick through, ultimately proved the decisive score.

However, although that try put Wayne Smith’s revamped side ahead with just nine minutes left to play at Eden Park, it was not the final act.

Despite having had a numerical disadvantage for so long and with the clock in red, when England approached an attacking lineout there was a quiet expectation that they would once again deploy their potent rolling maul and drive their way to glory.