England, France Put Stamps On Women's Six Nations
England, France Put Stamps On Women's Six Nations
England and France secured their second bonus-point wins of the Women’s Six Nations this past weekend.
By Jackie Finlan
England and France secured their second bonus-point wins of the Women’s Six Nations this past weekend and have quickly re-established themselves as the tournament’s prime title contenders. Ireland spent Round 2 defeating Italy at home, moving into third in the standings.
England 52, Wales 0
The 4,000-plus fans, including Prince Harry, enjoyed an abundance of action at Twickenham Stoop in London on Saturday, as the Red Roses needed just 30 minutes to cross that bonus-try threshold against Wales. Scoring 26 points in either half, England beat Wales 52-0.
Flanker Poppy Cleall scored two tries and earned Player of the Match honors for the second straight week. Teenager Ellie Kildunne, who moved from fullback to outside center this round, also scored two tries and highlights the young class of athletes gaining valuable international experience this series. Wing Abigail Dow, scrumhalf Leanne Riley, Rachael Burford, and Marlie Packer also scored tries, while flyhalf Katy Daley-Mclean kicked six conversions.
England head coach Simon Middleton was particularly pleased with his side’s physicality on defense, an area of focus during the previous week.
“We set our stall out at the beginning of the tournament," he said. "We want to win the Six Nations and we want to do it with good performances. Our forwards were terrific today, not perfect, but they’ll know that and that’s what drives them. We have an unbelievably young back line in terms of age and in terms of experience and they’ll grow and learn from today.
"Overall I’m happy with where we are positioned at the moment and knowing also that we still have plenty to work on as a squad.”
France 26, Scotland 3
The crowd at Glasgow’s Scotstoun Stadium also broke attendance records, as close to 2,800 spectators filed in to see Scotland host France on Saturday. But unlike the game at The Stoop, the slippery conditions affected gameplay and the opening 30 minutes were marked by handling errors and a stout Scottish defense.
Scotland made good use of a turnover, and Sarah Law kicked a penalty for the 3-0 lead. France then lost prop Patricia Carricaburu to a yellow card, and Les Bleus had to do some damage control. The team consolidated its power into a driving maul that saw hooker Agathe Sochat dot down for a try. Immediately afterward, a lovely cross-field kick from flyhalf Pauline Bourdon landed in wing Cyrielle Banet’s hands for a 12-3 halftime lead.
France was able to score twice more through wing Caroline Boujard and outside center Jade Le Pesq, but overall it was a frustrating outing for Les Bleus. Penalties, ball-handling errors, and a resilient Scottish defense prevented any momentum build-up.
Ireland 21, Italy 8
Although Donnybrook escaped the rain, wind played a big factor in the first half of the Ireland vs. Italy match on Sunday. As ball-handling wavered, Ireland relied on hard-carrying players such as flanker Claire Molloy, who was name Player of the Match, and outside center Katie Fitzhenry, back from the sevens circuit.
About 10 minutes in, Alisa Hughes turned over possession and Ireland went to work committing the defense in tight. The ball then shifted out wide for wing Megan Williams to score and flyhalf Niahm Briggs to convert for a 7-0 lead. There the score held until just before the break, when Italy’s Michela Sillari kicked a penalty to cut Ireland's advantage to 7-3.
Injuries and errors marked the third quarter. However, Ireland kept the pressure on, and Italy committed four-straight penalties in its 22 meter. In the 67th minute, the always-gaining Lindsay Peat nearly crossed and captain Ciara Griffin followed up with the first of her two tries. The second came from a controlled scrum, and Briggs added two conversions.
Late in the match, Italy sent Eleonora Ricci in for a consolation try, 21-8.
ROUND 3
The tournament takes a break this weekend and resumes February 23.
Feb. 23: England (2-0) at Scotland (0-2) — Watch Live
Feb. 24: Italy (0-2) at France (2-0) — Watch Live
Feb. 25: Wales (1-1) at Ireland (1-1) — Watch Live
Jackie Finlan edits The Rugby Breakdown and has covered rugby in the USA and around the world for over a decade.