The Wallaroos are still winless against New Zealand but have regained some respect with a much improved performance at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
The Australians suffered a 22-14 defeat – the 22nd in a row – but at least showed some spirit to recover from a 52-5 beaten in the O’Reilly Cup first test in Christchurch last Saturday.
Blind third row Emily Chancellor and remembered number 8 Grace Hamilton were defensive workhorses for the home team as the exciting young Biel winger Terita scored two tries on his debut.
On their last success before the Rugby World Cup in October in New Zealand, where they were drawn to meet the hosts in the first round, the Wallaroos got off to a great start with a 7-0 lead.
In her test debut at 15, 19-year-old Terita, a member of the World Series-winning team of seven, opened the scoring.
He needed a second chance, unloading a Georgie Friedrichs pass on the goal line, but the Aussies threw the ball wide again and this time Terita made no mistake.
The Black Ferns lost center Chelsea Semple, who was removed looking to tackle prop Liz Patu and was also shown a yellow card for head contact, leaving his team to one player.
Australia failed to capitalize with New Zealand kicking a penalty and then taking a 15-7 lead at half-time after hooker Luka Connor crashed after 10 build phases.
While the Wallaroos looked dangerous with the ball in hand, they struggled to secure possession or territory in the second half.
Despite a valiant defense, the Kiwis crossed twice, thanks to lockdown Joanah Ngan-Woo and then flanker Kendra Reynolds to extend the lead at 22-7.
Showing her seven-man pace, Terita split the defense to hit the ground in the 80th minute to ensure the Australians finished in style despite defeat.