The early red card to England's Thompson left the team down a player for most of the match before eventually losing; the rest of the team said afterwards that they did not blame her for the loss, with captain Hunter saying it was up to the players on the pitch to deliver and, though the England side "left no stone unturned, [they] left everything on the pitch", that New Zealand found a way and they did not. Coach Simon Middleton said in his interview after the match that the red card "didn't help", elaborating that it made a tough contest tougher but that he was proud of the England performance and recognised New Zealand's skill. Men's coach Eddie Jones was also asked about it, and compared red cards in recent years to electric car chargers, saying that they are suddenly everywhere and it is no longer impossible to win a match after receiving one early on. Jones also posited "Who beats New Zealand at Eden Park?" Former England player Victoria Fleetwood instead opined that the red card was the deciding factor, and that England would have certainly won had it not been given.
