Dominating Performance by England
The chasm at the pinnacle of women’s rugby was once more evident in Wellington, where Australia succumbed to the Red Roses of England 42-7 in their WXV 1 match. The fifth-ranked Wallaroos lost the inaugural World Rugby competition to world No. 1 England in a four-try first half.
Wallaroos’ Struggles and Red Card
Australia trailed by 14 at halftime due to Wallaroos forward Annabelle Codey’s red card for two high shots, whereas captain Marlie Packer scored twice in the second half. The Wallaroos, despite being fully equipped, were unable to stop the English, who are poised to record their third consecutive perfect season in four years.
After five minutes, Hannah Botterman advanced, Maya Stewart was stretchered off after a tackle on Holly Aitchson, and Ella Wyrwas scored her first goal. In the thirty-minute period following Codey’s yellow card for a shoulder charge on Marlie Packer, the England captain scored from the ensuing lineout by charging over from a characteristic England drive.
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After stopping a further charge, England scored their fourth through Wyrwas’ offload to Jess Breach, shocking Australia. Aitchson, who was named the match’s man-of-the-match after converting from both wings of Sky Stadium and two central efforts to give England a 28-0 halftime lead, was flawless on the pitch.
Resilience and Response
The Wallaroos scored after Packer scored her second and England’s fifth through a rolling maul, when Layne Morgan converted a fast tap and Ashley Marsters evaded a disorganised defence in the 54th minute.
Within two minutes, the Red Roses responded when Megan Jones raced through Wyrwas’s short pass for their sixth try. With twenty minutes remaining, Codey’s second yellow card gave England the opportunity to extend its lead, but Australia resisted.
England had dominated Australia in their previous six Tests, including a 36-point rout in the World Cup quarterfinals of the previous year, so a hefty loss was to be expected.
According to Packer, Australia “asked us numerous questions,” but her side possessed the responses. “We discuss courage and the virtue of being courageous.” “That was the England team’s performance tonight,” she explained.
The Wallaroos displayed some vigour and achieved some success with a running game in both the inside and outside channels, but lost possession at the breakdown repeatedly thwarted them. Captain Michaela Leonard expressed her utmost pride in the way Australia performed in confined spaces.
She stated, “When I consider that scrum for the entire eighty, we gave it to them.” “When we executed it properly, it served us well.”
The WXV Tournament
A new annual competition known as WXV bridges the distance between World Cups by pitting teams against similarly ranked opponents from outside their region. This year, the top three European and Pacific-based teams compete in the elite WXV 1 round-robin tournament in New Zealand for three weeks.
Upcoming Matches
On Saturday, the hosts, France, Wales, and Canada will all compete in the competition’s championship match, which will also serve as the tournament’s conclusion. On November 4, the Black Ferns will host the Red Roses in a rematch of the previous World Cup final at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland.
