UK (Commonwealth) _ At Ashton Gate, in front of a record 19,705 fans for a Red Roses game outside of Twickenham, England crushed Wales with eight tries.
Under the leadership of John Mitchell, the team scored four tries in the first half, with Maud Muir, Zoe Aldcroft, Hannah Botterman, and Lark Atkin-Davies scoring each of them. Ellie Kildunne and Abby Dow scored tries for England after the half, while Keira Bevan eventually crossed the line for Wales. Secure Kildunne got a great second, and Rosie Galligan answered.
Victory ensures the Red Roses, who return to the top of the standings after France’s win over Scotland earlier on Saturday, stay on course to achieve a third straight Grand Slam and a sixth successive Six Nations triumph.
April 13, England goes against Scotland, while Wales goes to Ireland in search of their first victory. England makes a flying start in front of a record crowd. The choice to hold the match in Bristol made it possible for supporters from both sides of the border to cram into Ashton Gate.
The atmosphere was electric on this record-breaking day, and England did not let up when Abby Dow went flying down the right wing and prop Muir came barreling over near the tryline.
Since the beginning of the competition, head coach John Mitchell has made it known that he intends to rotate his team a lot in order to get to know his players before the 2025 home World Cup. Mitchell made seven changes for the match, and Megan Jones, a center, immediately proved why she was chosen. She was a constant danger to score.
After Aldcroft tried on her fiftyth cap, Jones moved ahead and then found Jess Breach with a well-placed grubber kick. After that, England swiftly recycled the ball so that Botterman could score a third try. The Red Roses struggled early in their Six Nations opener against Italy in Parma, making several handling errors. However, they soon found their rhythm, scoring six tries in the second half and winning the match.
Wales came back and managed to spend enough time in the red zone of England to win the match. However, the visitors’ clumsy play and staunch defense prevented them from converting territory into points. Either passes were intercepted or flung forward. On the double bounce, one got to a free Hannah Jones. As was the case when England’s Jones gathered in her own 22, unfurled a deceptive dummy, cantered up field, and booted off the toe, the Wales forwards were picked out and punished when they dallied at the breakdown.
Natasha Hunt, the scrum-half, was quickly searching for the ball on Wales’ line. She then found a streaking Hannah Botterman, who blasted past defenders to score. Atkin-Davies, Lark added the finishing touches with a rolling-maul try following a lineout to go into the shed up 24-3.
England ended the first half in the same manner that they began the second. George was unable to make contact with a penalty kick, and Connie Powell, who replaced Atkin-Davies, lunged past red shirt supporters like she was a substitute winger rather than a front-row player. Ellie Kildunne scored in the corner after going close twice.
In the opening forty minutes, Atkin-Davies scored England’s bonus-point try off the back of a maul, demonstrating that a lack of urgency or speed was not an issue in Bristol. Goal kicking is one area where the Red Roses still struggle. Holly Aitchison, who has only three conversions off the tee, struggles off the tee as Zoe Harrison did in Italy.
In women’s international rugby union, England is represented by the Red Roses, also referred to as the women’s national rugby union squad. Every year, they participate in the Women’s Six Nations Championship alongside Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and France.
England is the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won the title 19 times out of 28 times, with 17 Grand Slams and 23 Triple Crowns. Their success has been aided by their status as the only completely professional women’s team in 2019. They have been second six times and won the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1994 and 2014. As of October 2023, their permanent head coach is John Mitchel.
