England remain on course for Slam after thrashing Scots
ENGLAND MAINTAINED their push for a second successive Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam by beating Scotland 53-0 in Edinburgh.
The match was switched to Murrayfield and played behind closed doors following Sunday’s postponement in Glasgow because of Storm Ciara.
And England made up for lost time by moving top of the table above Ireland on points difference, setting up a key encounter between the countries later this month.
Sarah Hunter’s team followed last season’s 80-0 victory over the Scots by running in eight tries as snow fell in the Scottish capital, including doubles for full-back Emily Scott and wing Abby Dow.
Hunter, prop Sarah Bern, wing Jess Breach and substitute Claudia MacDonald also crossed, while centre Emily Scarratt kicked five conversions and a penalty. Scarratt’s 13-point haul meant she overtook team-mate Katy Daley-McLean as England Women’s all-time leading scorer.
Meanwhile Eddie Jones has cautioned the Six Nations against expanding the men’s competition after revelling in a wrestle between England and Scotland played in atrocious conditions.
Tournament organisers have distanced themselves from a report stating South Africa would join a new extended format in 2024 after revealing the proposal has not been discussed.
England revived their title ambitions by reclaiming the Calcutta Cup in an ugly 13-6 victory that unfolded at a hostile Murrayfield and Jones believes tinkering with a winning format is ill-advised.
“It’s called the greatest rugby tournament in the world and I think it is. So why would you want to add other teams that are going to decrease the level of competition,” Jones said.
“I can only talk from experience. Super Rugby was the golden egg of rugby – brilliant, 12 teams, competitive. As soon as it had gone to 14 and 15, it had lost its allure.
“You want the best teams playing against each other. There’s something about the Six Nations – because of the history of the relationships between the nations, it makes it more outstanding.
“Someone was giving me a history lesson on Scotland and the number of different things that have happened in the rivalry with England. So there’s a lot of meaning to a lot of people for a game like this. The competition is much harder contested than the World Cup.”