The relentless Red Roses winning machine just keeps on rolling. Twenty-one consecutive wins became 22, this dominant England side beginning to again threaten their own record tally with no end to the streak in sight. A record Cardiff crowd piled into the Principality Stadium in hope rather than expectation; even the most ardent of Welsh fans would have gone away relatively content that Sean Lynn’s side at times seemed in the same class as their vaunted visitors.
John Mitchell, the England head coach, has described his squad as two sides operating as one in this tournament as he shakes up selection in a World Cup year. After a few more unfamiliar combinations produced a performance of two halves – 40 minutes of good rugby followed by a rather more challenging second period – against Italy, a close to fully-loaded team showed their ruthless streak in dispatching Wales. Two weeks earlier, England’s men had set the standards here with a 10-try thrashing of their hosts. Never to be outdone, the women raised the bar with an 11-try win as Ellie Kildunne marked her 50th cap with a hat-trick.
While this was close to the team that England would field in a World Cup final, perhaps their standout star on the day was one of those still looking to force her way in. Maddie Feaunati is emerging in this campaign as a coming force, following a player-of-the-match performance last week with an even more accomplished and devastating showing.
Were it not for Alex Matthews’ high tackle in the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) final, it is unlikely that Feaunati would have started here. But with Mitchell’s regular first choice No 8 serving a suspension, the 22-year-old back row could have done little more to stake her claim to a starting shirt for the remainder of the tournament with an outstanding performance. Feaunati got England going with a breakaway score from the back of a lineout before crashing over on the left later in the first half, the two tries arriving either side of a delicate dish of an assist to Sarah Bern.
A side of such depth didn’t necessarily need her, but Mitchell convincing Feaunati to take up an England contract rather than a deal in New Zealand last year is looking increasingly inspired, if only to keep a rough diamond starting to play with real polish out of the world champion Black Ferns’ squad.
“Maddie has been playing outstanding,” head coach Mitchell said. “She’s powerful, she’s grown in confidence. But you never write off Alex Matthews. She is a world-class No 8 and we are very lucky to have her, too. Now I have got a difficult decision to make over the next week. I think we’ll get the balance right because they are both good players.”
The back row is an area of real intrigue this year with the World Cup looming large. Marlie Packer’s demotion from the captaincy came in part because the veteran openside is under real threat for her place, with Sadia Kabeya now among the Red Roses’ most consistent performers. Matthews would join her in that bracket and feels a certain starter, potentially leaving one spot up for grabs. With new skipper Zoe Aldcroft again deployed on the blindside, options abound for Mitchell – and one suspects Packer, an arch competitor, will still have a major say.
Wales boss Lynn could hardly have imagined a more encouraging start on Saturday. With a record crowd for a Wales women’s fixture of 21,186 in a vocal mood, the hosts joined them in rising to a roar in the opening minutes, spent almost entirely down the English end. Kildunne and Kabeya had already been forced into vital defensive interventions before Harrison shelled a simple pass in her own in-goal. A powerful scrum and a destructive carry from Georgia Evans set up tighthead Jenni Scoble, impressive in the first half in all facets before being replaced, for the opening score.
It proved only the briefest of bloody noses for England. Mitchell has said that his side will have to roll with the punches if they are to fulfil their home World Cup destiny later this year, but the sad truth is that not enough sides are capable of landing the sort of blows to truly shake this outstanding side. Feaunati’s first was all too simply scored, and two or three defenders might have felt they could have done more to slow Meg Jones as the Cardiff-born centre marked an emotional return to the city after the loss of both parents with a try, pointing to the heavens as she wondrously weaved in.
Feaunati’s neat transfer at the line set up Bern for a third before the No 8 secured the bonus point inside half an hour. England, ominously hadn’t even really felt at the races.
It took them a good while to break down Italy in the second half in York six days ago, but there was no repeat here. In eight minutes just after half-time, Kildunne scored three times – even with plenty of Welsh fans in, the charismatic full-back was probably the most popular player on the pitch. “She is a breath of fresh air,” beamed Mitchell. “She is very, very talented. She is maturing her game all of the time.”
Kate Williams hit back for Wales but England had more gears through which to go: Harrison’s beautiful crossfield kick set up Abby Dow, before Abi Burton, not three years after having to learn to walk and talk again following a life-threatening battle with encephalitis, became a popular debut scorer. There was time yet for one more each for the Trailfinders pair – England are back in full, frightening force.
