Sports recap: Tongan women inspire, All Blacks triumph amid Kiwi Ferns controversy

Here are some key moments you may have missed from the weekend's sporting action!

Tongan women’s XIII captain Natasha Penitani expressed deep emotion to the media following their impressive 42-6 victory against the Papua New Guinea Orchids on Saturday.

Following the win in Port Moresby, Penitani delivered an inspiring message to fans and young Tongan girls.

“Anything is possible, whether you’re growing up in the islands or you’re in Australia, you’re in New Zealand, keep going,” she says. “We’re doing this for you, keep pushing to making our small nation proud. You’ll get here one day.”

In her 39 minutes of play, Penitani totalled 106 running metres, while team-mate and centre Martha Mataele had a standout performance.

The capped Black Fern wreaked havoc on the Orchids’ defence to score two tries in the 61st and 69th minutes.

All Blacks’ strong performance

While it wasn’t a historic repeat of 2016 for Ireland in Chicago, fans witnessed a lengthy first disrupted by multiple decisions, including those from the TMO on Sunday (NZT).

An early challenge faced by Ireland involved a yellow card that was later upgraded to a red card for lock Tadhg Beirne after a head collision with All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett.

Despite trailing by three at half-time, the All Blacks regained their momentum in the second half, securing a 26-13 win.

Caleb Clarke with ball in hand. Photo/Robin Alam/Photosport

While the All Blacks showed early frustration in the forward pack by conceding penalties in the scrum, they quickly regained composure and began to exploit the Irish defence.

Towards the end of the game, the All Blacks displayed their trademark style of rugby, finding open spaces and executing active ball support play.

Two tries were scored by forwards Tamaiti Williams and Wallace Sititi, who both received the off-loads from Damian McKenzie to run 20 metres to the tryline.

Roigard capped off the performance with a final try in the 76th minute after evading several Irish defenders.

With a successful start to their Northern tour, the All Blacks will now travel to Edinburgh, where they will face Scotland at Murrayfield Stadium, kicking off at 4.10am (NZT) on Sunday.

Meanwhile, England celebrated their round one match of the Quilter Nations Series, defeating the Australian Wallabies 25-7 at Twickenham. For more information on fixtures and results, click here.

Kiwi Ferns’ controversial try

During the Kiwi Ferns match against the Jillaroos on Sunday, confusion arose over a try scored by Kiwi second-rower Annessa Biddle.

The physical contest ended in a 10-4 defeat for the Kiwis at Eden Park, and many, including Jillaroos captain Ali Briggenshaw, were puzzled by the referee’s call on the play.

In the 50th minute, Biddle made an impressive 75-metre run to score the only points for the Kiwi Ferns. But players on both teams turned to the referee for an explanation.

“I think we were all a bit confused with what was happening. She looked confused with the ball and yeah I don’t really know what the call was there. I know you play to the ref's whistle, so Bel* said play on,” Briggenshaw says.

*Belinda Sharpe, the match referee.

Kiwi Ferns Annessa Biddle scoring at Eden Park. Photo/Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Kiwi Ferns captain Georgia Hale echoed these sentiments, “It was that old school mentality like play to the whistle. An opportunity opened and I think with someone like Annessa, we see power, we see strength, and we see toughness. But she’s got a bit of toe to her. So it was nice to see her open up in space.”

The physical battle at Eden Park was a preview for this Sunday's rematch in the Grand Final of the Pacific Championships at Commbank Stadium in Sydney, with kick-off at 3.35pm (NZT).