Irish put to sword in Donny
SARAH HUNTER got England off to a great start as they maintained their perfect record in the Women’s Six Nations Championship with a big win over Ireland.
The hosts took control from the off, with No.8 Hunter touching down after a five-metre scrum.
Wingers Abby Dow and Jess Breach then crossed in quick succession with an Emily Scarratt conversion making it 17-0 after just 27 minutes in Doncaster.
Flanker Vicky Fleetwood extended the home side’s lead for the bonus point before the break. But
England had to wait until 18 minutes into the second half to cross for a fifth time when full-back Sarah Mckenna touched down with Scarratt unable to add the points.
England head coach Simon Middleton said: “It’s a great win for us.”
Ireland counterpart Adam Griggs added: “We showed glimpses of what we’re capable of. We struggled on the attack side and that’s credit to England’s defence.
“We’re taking a lot of positives from our defence - it’s not every day you can keep an England team under 30 points.
“There’s no better team to challenge yourself against and moving into the World Cup qualifiers in September that will be huge for us.”
Denied a deserved try when Henshaw took him out illegally
Kicked everything, varied his play and reffed game superbly
Imperious display. Scored first try and made second for Daly
Losing his hair clearly did not rob him of his strength. Big shift
Rock-solid in defence, deft and often delicate touches going forward
One bizarre kick aside, gave power to dominant England pack display
A thorn in Ireland’s side – swarming defence wrecked the Irish
Hot form of the opening two rounds deserted the winger
Losing battle trying to deal with the returning Tuilagi
England 27 Ireland 0
Starting place under real pressure now after career low display
Solid with his throwing but made little impact in the loose.
Late replacement for Iain Henderson but has good experience
Munster warrior relishes facing the Red Rose and gave his all
Lost his shirt in a grapple with Itoje. Found no room to run
Kilcoyne 7, Cooney 7, Porter 6, Kelleher 6, Dillane 6,
Doris 7, Earles 6, Byrne 7