Many criticised England’s conservative style of play under Simon Middleton but new head coach John Mitchell has implemented an ambitious, entertaining method, illustrated by the backline flair that was showcased in the eighttry victory as Mitchell continues his mission to turn the Red Roses from a ‘very good’, into a ‘phenomenal’ outfit.
Wales rued missed chances in the first half with the visitors enjoying just shy of 70 per cent of the territory in the opening period, but their white line fever was punished with breathtaking, ruthless counterattacks from England’s flyers.
The best sign of a formidable team is dominating matches when they aren’t at their best and England wrapped up the bonus point before halftime through tries by Maud Muir, Zoe Aldcroft, Hannah Botterman and Lark Atkin-Davies, with the 24-3 scoreline flattering the Red Roses.
England went through the gears in the second stanza as Ellie Kildunne scored two with further tries by Abby Dow and Rosie Galligan.
Captain Marlie Packer said: “That was incredible! The crowd was unreal, Ashton Gate was rocking and thank you all for your support. There are a few fix ups for us in terms of our handling errors to fix during the fallow week before we face Scotland.
This story is from the March 31, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the March 31, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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