Harrison's last-gasp intercept seals England win over New Zealand
Zoe Harrison turned a missed kick into a match-winning moment as England beat New Zealand 26-19 at Twickenham on 26 September, according to BBC Sport.
The fly-half, the playmaker who directs the attack and usually takes kicks at goal, had just missed a penalty that would have eased the pressure. Moments later she made amends in the most dramatic way possible. She read a New Zealand pass, caught it clean and sprinted away to score.
An intercept try is exactly that. One player picks off an opposition pass and attacks the other way, with no defence set in front of her. Harrison's effort came in overtime, after the full-time siren had sounded.
In rugby union, the clock hitting zero does not stop play instantly. The game carries on until the ball goes dead, so a try scored after the siren still counts. That rule allowed Harrison's late break to stand as the winner.
England came into the game as world champions in the women's game. The Twickenham meeting was part of the WXV Global Series. The result stretched England's unbeaten run to 41 matches, as discussed on BBC Rugby Union Weekly.
Harrison relived the finish on that podcast with host Sara Orchard and former England winger Kat Merchant, herself a World Cup winner. The 27-minute episode was published on 26 September and focuses on how England got past the Black Ferns again.
The conversation also touched on Shaun Edwards joining England's coaching team. Edwards has built his reputation on defence, first in rugby league and then in union, where stopping the opposition's momentum is often the difference between winning and losing.
What makes this stand out is the emotional swing. Harrison could easily have been defined by the penalty that went astray. She stayed alert for one final pass instead.
Forty-one games unbeaten is a hard number to grasp. It means more than two years without losing. And it means England keep finding different ways to win, this time through one sharp read when legs were tired and minds were frayed.
