The fortress walls of Murrayfield were finally at Scotland women’s disposal for their first standalone game but England rocked its foundations with a statement performance where fans were left questioning if the world champions had injury problems at all.
The 30,498 crowd was a record attendance for a women’s solo sporting event in Scotland but they were shocked into silence after the hosts failed to live up to the occasion. Scotland were poor, particularly in defence, as England ran riot, with 12 tries and scoring the most points they have against their old rivals since their 89-0 result back in 2011. If Scotland turn up in Italy next week in the same form, Fabio Roselli’s team will be licking their lips.
Scotland were their own worst enemy with 13 handling errors and a tackle completion rate of just 59%, meaning the hosts missed 52 tackles. But that does not take away from the outstanding England outing. On the face of things John Mitchell’s team should be struggling on pitch with 13 of their Rugby World Cup-winning squad missing through retirement, injury or pregnancy but the Red Roses are proving the endless pool of talent they have.
The latest player to be given a baptism in international rugby was the 19-year-old Bristol Bears back-row Demelza Short. The youngster, who was playing for England Under-18s just last year, won her debut at blindside flanker with Alex Matthews injured and the usual back-rower Abi Burton employed in the second row, with England’s unavailability list including four locks. Short had a solid game but there was another forward who shone, with Maddie Feaunati player of the match. The back-rower was key in Ellie Kildunne’s opening try with a great line break. She also came up with a maul turnover and was the physical punch the Red Roses needed at times to launch attacks.
Scotland were a shambles in defence and failed to capitalise on the front-foot ball they created but an area they were able to disrupt their opponents was at the scrum. The set piece was a positive element to the hosts’ game, with multiple scrum penalties won, particularly in the first half.
This was the first home game for Scotland’s new head coach, Sione Fukofuka, and he was left in no doubt as to the gap he has to try to bridge, with Scotland conceding more than double the points than they did the last time the two teams met, in September’s World Cup quarter-final. The Scotland captain, Rachel Malcolm, said: “You never want to see a scoreline like that. We need to dust ourselves off pretty quickly. We showed them too much respect and, at times, defensively, we were naive and let them come at us too much.
“But today was about so much more than just the game. For those who have been around for 10 years plus, we have come from a couple of hundred people in the stands [to today]. The reception was phenomenal.”
Nothing will take away from what the team achieved off the pitch with a huge crowd. The anthem highlighted what it meant to the players, with Malcolm peeking over her shoulder to look at the piper on the roof.
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Roundup: France keep up 100% record against Wales
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France, England’s main rivals for the title, continued their strong start to the campaign, scoring six tries in a 38-7 triumph over Wales in Cardiff, despite the hosts taking the lead.
The influential scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus (pictured) claimed the bonus point for Les Bleues on the hour mark, having been one of two France players to be sent to the sin-bin in the first half.
Wales went ahead against Les Bleus thanks to a 15th-minute penalty try following a lineout against 14 players, with Bourdon Sansus dispatched for its concession. But France hit back through Madoussou Fall Raclot’s try, converted by Carla Arbez, to leave the contest level at 7-7 going into half-time.
Scores from Manae Feleu, Lea Murie and Bourdon Sansus secured the bonus point for the visitors before the hour mark. The Wales lock Gwen Crabb was was sent to the sin-bin for head-on-head contact after the first of those three tries before Anaïs Grando crossed twice in the closing stages to complete France’s resounding comeback victory.
“We know it’s not enough,” France’s head coach, François Ratier, said of a second slow start, after being only 5-0 up against Italy at half-time in week one. “It’s a real challenge for us to start games on the right footing.”
Ireland scored nine tries to thrash Italy 57-20 in their Women’s Six Nations clash as Beibhinn Parsons ran in a first-half hat-trick in Galway. Ireland responded from an opening defeat to England with a dominant display, chalking up seven tries during a rampant first half at the Dexcom Stadium to open up a 45-10 lead.
The scrum-half Emily Lane set the tone with a try after six minutes, with Aoife Wafer, Robyn O’Connor on her debut and Ellena Perry also going over around Parsons’ treble.
Italy’s first-half tries came from Vittoria Vecchini and a fine breakaway score from the full-back Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi.
Ireland further extended their advantage in the second half with tries from Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Brittany Hogan, with Italy – who remain bottom of the table – at least managing to salvage a bonus point as Veronica Madia and Alyssa D’Inca also touched down.AFP and PA
When the action got under way England scored five first-half tries, the best of the bunch seeing Kildunne dot down after Feaunati’s break. Kildunne’s second was her 50th for her country.
Scotland got on the board through Rhona Lloyd’s effort, converted by Helen Nelson, but they proved the only points of the game for the hosts, with the visitors adding a further seven scores in the second 40. Sarah Bern scored two of the tries to add to the two she scored last week against Ireland.
If Wales were thinking England might take their foot off of the gas against them in the next round after such a big win they would be mistaken, according to Mitchell. “It is very unlikely I will ever get complacent,” the head coach said. ““I am probably at my worst when we win because I drive to try to raise the floor even more. We are clearly very fortunate to have great depth, which has been extremely tested.”
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Scotland 7-84 England teams and scorers
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Scotland Rollie; Lloyd (Darroch 62), Wills (Scott, 44), Smith, Campbell (McGhie 48); Nelson, Brebner-Holden; Bartlett (Swann 58), Skeldon (Martin 61), Clarke (Poolman 58), Wassell, Cunningham (Bogan 48), Malcolm, Stewart (McLachlan 48), Coubrough. Try Lloyd. Con Nelson.
England Sing, Breach, Rowland (Aitchison 62), Jones, Kildunne (Venner 62); Harrison, L Packer (Robinson 64); Clifford (Carson 52), Cokayne (Powell 52), Muir (Bern 52), Burton, Campion (Lutui 58), Short (M Packer 58), Kabeya, Feaunati. Tries Kildunne (2), Jones, Clifford, Sing, Cokayne, Bern (2), M Packer, Kabeya, Venner, Lutui. Cons Harrison (11).
Referee Zoe Naude (SA). Attendance 30,498.
Scotland will have to recover from the hammering quickly for their trip to Italy next Saturday, while England will host Wales with general sale tickets all sold-out at Ashton Gate. Scotland will be a part of the next big milestone in this tournament when they travel to Dublin for the final round, with Ireland’s first standalone game at the Aviva Stadium.