Black Ferns too strong for England

New Zealand celebrate retaining the World Cup

New Zealand retained the Women's World Cup with a 19-9 victory over England at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.

Kiwi's unstoppable? Have your say

The Black Ferns' try-scoring power proved the difference between the sides, after both had convincing wins in the semi-finals.

"It's great to have gone out on such a high. This was a real test," New Zealand coach Darryl Sua Sua told the tournament's official site.

"We tried to mix the way we played and it worked out."

England found no way through the Kiwi line

Two penalties and a drop goal from Shelley Rae kept England in contention in a tight first half.

A Monique Hirovanaa try and two penalties from Tammi Wilson gave New Zealand a slender 11-9 lead at the break.

But six minutes into the second half, Cheryl Waaka made the crucial break.

She crossed to give New Zealand a seven-point lead, and England could not bridge the gap despite the sin-binning of Victoria Heighway.

Hannah Myers completed the scoring when she added a penalty in injury time.

"I just took the opportunities that presented themselves," said Hirovanaa.

"This is so exciting to achieve the World Cup twice in a row. Our motto was to 'Be better than before'. That was achieved."