Italy 0
England 48
Sarah Beckett was sent off in the 11th minute after the bunker review, being used for the first time in the tournament, upgraded her yellow card and Helena Rowland was sent to the sin-bin in the 68th minute.
Marlie Packer, the captain, said "soft errors" let the team down but she was "on top of the world" after winning her 100th cap for the Red Roses. When she first stepped on to a rugby pitch for England in 2008 Gordon Brown was prime minister, Four Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake was in its fourth week at No 1, and Manchester United had just won their 10th Premier League title in 16 years after beating Wigan Athletic 2-0.
Packer played only 40 minutes in England's 80-3 win against Sweden on her debut and did not play again for the team for more than three years. It was a disappointing first cap, but it has worked out well in the end for the captain.
Packer has gone on to win the Rugby World Cup in 2014, claim seven Six Nations grand slam titles and was named the England captain after Sarah Hunter's retirement in 2023. The 34-year-old has now added to her impressive statistics as she became just the seventh Red Roses player to reach 100 caps.
This story is from the March 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the March 25, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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