1 year ago
38
Abby Dow scored 4 of England's 12 tries| England: (27) 68 |
| Tries: Breach 3, Dow 4, MacDonald 2, Heard, M Packer 2; Cons: Aitchison, Tuima, Sing 2 |
| Italy: (5) 5 |
| Try: Tounesi |
England continued their ascendant commencement to the Women's Six Nations with a 12-try triumph against Italy astatine Northampton's Franklin's Gardens.
Abby Dow scored 4 tries and Jess Breach a hat-trick arsenic England's backs entertained the assemblage of 12,947.
Italy showed advancement arsenic Sara Tounesi scored aboriginal connected - their archetypal effort against England since 2018.
But the Red Roses' professionalism told arsenic they enactment much than 50 connected their opponents for the 2nd week successful a row.
England, who bushed Scotland 58-7 past weekend, person been nonrecreational since 2019, whereas Italy got contracts successful 2022.
The Red Roses are seeking a 5th successive Six Nations rubric and are connected a grounds winning tally successful the contention of 21 matches.
Bern and Aitchison tally the England show
England are missing 19 players - mostly done wounded - but the gulf successful professionalism betwixt them and their opponents is truthful wide it did not matter.
Wing Breach made it implicit aft conscionable 2 minutes, earlier Tounesi responded immediately.
Fly-half Holly Aitchison and prop Sarah Bern were 2 stars for England.
Aitchison continued to settee into the 10 garment vacated by an injured Zoe Harrison, distributing well, gaining territory with kicks and booting the shot cross-field to Breach, who fed Dow for England's 2nd try.
The Red Roses continued to enactment connected a amusement astatine a sunny and packed Franklin's Gardens. Claudia MacDonald made amends for an earlier knock-on and dropped shot with a stunning interruption from extracurricular Italy's 22 to score.
The scrum was 1 country wherever England did not initially predominate arsenic they had successful their triumph against Scotland arsenic the lack of cardinal players showed.
But subordinate of the lucifer Bern made up for that successful unfastened play. The prop was astatine her rampaging best, seemingly confused astir whether she was a guardant oregon a backmost arsenic she was repeatedly deployed connected the wing, and her enactment interruption helped MacDonald implicit for a 2nd try.
England were not astatine their free-flowing best, but Italy's defence was astatine times truthful constrictive that it was not a occupation and Breach made it implicit for her 2nd people earlier the break.
More to follow.
Line-ups
England: Dow; Breach, Tuima, Heard, MacDonald; Aitchison, L Packer; Carson, Cokayne, Bern, O'Donnell, Burns, Kabeya, M Packer (capt), Aldcroft.
Replacements: Davies, Crake, Clifford, Beckett, Robinson, Wyrwas, McKenna, Sing.
Italy: Ostuni Minuzzi; Muzzo, Sillari, Rigoni, Stefan; Madia, Barattin; Maris, Vecchini, Gai, Tounesi, Duca, Sgorbini, Franco, Giordano (capt).
Replacements: Stecca, Cassaghi, Seye, Fedrighi, Locatelli, Stevanin, Busato, Capomaggi.
English (US)