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R. Kochhann (5'), G. Barth (72')
Tries
K. Mulling (21'), I. Jongerius (35'), A. Muggleton (44')
R. Kochhann (5')
Conversions
I. Touw (44')
R. Kochhann (53')
Penalties
This told us more about grit than flow. Netherlands, who arrived in Hong Kong off a demolition job and a reputation for pinning teams with set-piece and territory, had to win a different way. They barely saw the ball, spent long spells defending their own half, and still found enough composure in two bursts either side of half-time to edge it.
It also told us that Brazil learned from Round 1, just not the full lesson. The late-game discipline that undid them against Hong Kong China held up far better here; the penalty count was under control and they kept their heads when chasing. But one yellow card at the worst moment, a costly unconverted try in the final minutes, and a lack of incision after long possessions left them two short.
The hinge was the 10 minutes around the break. Brazil had earned the start they wanted through Raquel Kochhann’s early try and conversion, only for the Dutch to land two punches with minimal ball: a sharp finish from Kika Mulling and a second from Inger Jongerius to turn the scoreboard before half-time. Then came the lapse Brazil could not afford. Thalita Costa’s yellow on 44 minutes handed the initiative straight back, and Alexis Muggleton struck almost immediately, with Isis Touw nailing the only conversion the Dutch would require. Ten minutes of looseness cost seven points. In a 17–15 grind, that was the game.
Everything else looked like a Brazilian template. Their set-piece was clean and consistent, they owned field position and recycled patiently through phase play. The numbers back it up: 64% possession, lineout at 15 from 16, scrum perfect on 13 from 13. Yet they too often played in front of an orange wall rather than through it. Netherlands racked up 203 tackles and still had enough bite at the contact to win turnovers and slow ruck speed, denying the front-foot ball Brazil needed to pull defenders apart.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAKS
TACKLE
TACKLES MISSED
TURNOVERS WON
PENALTIES CONCEDED
YELLOW CARDS
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
That defensive output is why the margin does not flatter the Dutch, even if the aesthetics weren’t pretty. It’s one thing to survive without the pill; it’s another to concede just two tries when you’ve made nearly two and a half times as many tackles as your opponent and shipped a dozen penalties. Credit the work rate and connection around the breakdown. When Brazil did reach the red zone, Netherlands stayed square, trusted their first-up tackles and, crucially, cleared their lines without handing back soft entrances. You can call it ugly; it was also composed.
Individual moments mattered because chances were scarce. Mulling’s try was a continuation of the form line from Round 1: give her half a seam and she finishes. Jongerius’s score just before the interval was the colder one, the kind of cut that steals momentum. Muggleton’s strike straight after Costa’s card was ruthless. Touw’s conversion, routine on paper, proved decisive on the day. On the other side, Kochhann did all she could while she was out there, adding a second-half penalty to keep Brazil in touch. But Brazil withdrew both Luiza Campos (62) and Kochhann (57) before the final quarter. They still found a route over through Giovanna Barth on 72 minutes, only for the conversion to drift. In a two-point match, taking off your primary game managers invites scrutiny, even if the decisions had sound internal logic.
Brazil did correct the specific late-game issues that burned them last week. They didn’t implode under maul pressure, they conceded only eight penalties, and they actually made the most of the numerical advantage when Pleuni Kievit saw yellow on 69 minutes, scoring soon after. What’s left is the harder fix: turning long possessions and a dominant set-piece into repeatable points. For all their phases, they created too few genuine breaks. A quicker ball at the ruck and more decisive width when the Dutch compressed would help; right now, they’re asking their carriers to win the same collision twice.
For Netherlands, this was a timely proof of range. Last week’s 70–0 romp said they can bully Samoa. This said they can stay in a game when the platform isn’t theirs and win it with three clean strikes and a lot of tackling. The work-ons are obvious: 12 penalties kept inviting Brazil back, and the yellow to Kievit made a tight finish tighter than it needed to be. But there’s value in banked experience of winning without rhythm, especially with Fiji next.
Brazil head to Spain with clarity. The structure is there, the set-piece is humming, and the discipline trendline is moving the right way. Now they need end-zone craft and a steadier boot when the game offers them eight metres and a choice. Netherlands move on unbeaten, not because they bossed the gain line or the air, but because they were clinical when their moments came and relentless everywhere else. That travels.
