Historic weekend of sports includes famous wins and heartbreaking losses

The Kiwi Ferns breaking a seven-year win drought against the Australian Jillaroos women's rugby league side was the “match of the weekend” according to sports analyst Justis Kamu.

Speaking to Levi Matautia-Morgan on 531pi’s Pacific Mornings, the former NZ Herald sport columnist says that while the All Blacks' agonising Rugby World Cup final defeat had many raging at their televisions, there were still reasons for New Zealand sports fans to celebrate.

Watch Justis Kamu's full analysis below:

Kamu pointed out the Kiwi Ferns 12-6 victory in Melbourne, in particular, adding that former Tongan rugby international Mele Hufanga as a key factor in their win.

“This was the match of the weekend and it was founded on dogged defence as they able to stop wave after wave of Aussie attack.”

Their male counterparts were less effective, losing 36-18 to a rampant Kangaroos side who “were too cynical and classy for the Kiwis”.

But Kamu expects a better performance this weekend from the Kiwis at the Pacific Championships final at Waikato Stadium.

“In terms of the score line - it was somewhat inflated which goes to show that you have to be in the match for 80 minutes - but it sets up an interesting final and I look to the Kiwis’ forward pack to really step up.”

Kiwi Ferns celebrate a win over Australia in the Women’s Pacific Championships rugby league test. Photo/ Facebook NRWL

In the rugby, the Black Ferns put a hapless Welsh side to the sword, winning 70-7 in Dunedin with superstar wing Ruby Tui scoring four tries.

Kamu says the Black Ferns were clearly trying to make amends after losing to France 18-17 last week.

“They definitely had a point to prove - so the 70-7 victory wasn’t unexpected but the score line was a surprise. And we saw a more connected, more fluent outfit than what we saw against France.”

The Black Ferns now face a rematch of their famous World Cup final victory against England’s mighty Red Roses side.

But unfortunately for their male counterparts, the All Blacks were unable to match the Black Ferns’ feat of becoming Rugby World Cup winners.

Kamu says given the inconsistent form of the men’s side over the last few years, reaching a Rugby World Cup final was a significant achievement.

“I want to congratulate the All Blacks for a world cup that many didn’t expect. A year ago we lost a series to Ireland and also dropped games against other teams we would typically beat - so to get to a world cup final - New Zealanders should be extremely proud of the All Blacks."

The All Blacks scored the only try of the match, and had an earlier score controversially disallowed, while all of South Africa’s points came from the boot of Handrè Pollard.

Kamu says the defending champion Springboks ability to stifle the All Blacks was somewhat expected.

“I wasn’t surprised with the manner with which the game was won, because the South Africans picked a squad with seven forwards on the bench, so you knew what was going to happen.

“Yes they only won by one point - but that’s all you need to do. It looks boring but it’s effective and so I congratulate the Springboks too, because this is a huge victory for their country .... and as you can see from the scenes over there - it means a lot.”

However Kamu says South Africa's defense-focused tactics, and the way penalties and sin bins dominated the Rugby World Cup should be a cause of concern for the game’s administrators.

"My view is that it goes back to World Rugby - and does World Rugby want to prioritise player skills or player welfare.

"You’ve got the TMO [television match official] particularly, getting too involved and being able to influence games.

"This is not the type of rugby that will make people stay to watch or bring in new fans.

"You’ve got to really balance players’ skills and players' welfare - and I think right now rugby has got an imbalance.”

Kamu highlights the issues Pacific teams faced with referees as another reason the game needs to rethink its rules.

“Fiji was the Pacific nation that made us the most proud - in the way they were able to showcase their skill the most - we saw their strength and brawn up front and also their flair and skill to be able to score those 80m tries.

“But overall, it was a disappointing tournament for Manu Samoa and Tonga.”