WONDER WOMEN
England march to World Cup final
ENGLAND constructed a white defensive wall last night to shut out France and reach the World Cup final for the fifth time in a row.
After they quelled a French siege in the first half, the Red Roses blossomed in the second.
Tries from superb 20-year- old prop Sarah Bern and Meg Jones late on saw England reach the final, with Emily Scarratt adding 10 points from the tee.
All France could manage was a solitary long-range penalty from Shannon Izar in the first half. They were simply unable to find cracks in the England brickwork.
It was an epic, if nervy semifinal, especially in the first half. They went into the break at 3-3, England surviving an early onslaught from France, having to make 42 tackles in 10 minutes.
But head coach Simon Middleton said he always trusted his team to come good.
‘They are the last group to panic,’ he said. ‘They know when to step up — they have been in a lot of tough, pressurised situations this year and have come out on the right side of them all.
‘It was a game befitting a World Cup semi-final. France made a great game of it. We had to fight every inch of the way. We are absolutely thrilled.’
They should be. England may be the only fully professional team in this competition but they were never certain of victory.
With their powerful forwards, France hammered into England but the wall stood firm.
After the early pressure had subsided, England had the first points. Flanker Marjorie Mayans held on at the ruck and Scarratt stepped up to knock over the penalty with her trademark slow, long stride.
It was becoming a titanic battle but England’s indiscipline was hurting them. They conceded eight penalties in the first half, the French only one, and eventually Izar punished them with a penalty following a high tackle.
After the interval England grew. They quickly built 20 phases in attack, giving the French a taste of their first-half medicine, until they were millimetres from the try-line. But when the ball eventually came out it was dropped. Luckily a penalty was coming and Scarratt made it.
The centre missed her next shot but the relentless English pressure finally told, Bern picking a typically bullocking line and bundling over. The youngest player in England’s squad, Bern is so difficult to stop when she gained momentum. Scarratt converted and England led by 10.
Then panic stations. The French stormed back, hammering into England with their World Cup dream fading away. Again, though, England’s defence was epic, Jones denying Julie Annery with a stunning try-saving tackle on the left wing. And then her late try sealed the deal.
The ghosts of World Cups past will now return for this England side, however.
After a 45-12 win over the USA, New Zealand’s Black Ferns await in the final. They are England’s World Cup bogey team, having beaten them in the final in 2002, 2006 and 2010.
England won the most recent encounter, though, 29-21 in New Zealand just over a month ago, but captain Sarah Hunter says all that counts for nothing.
‘Tournament titles, games and form go out the window and don’t count for anything,’ she said. ‘The slate is wiped clean for the final on Saturday. It is going to take another step up but we have the belief and the strength in the squad to go and do that.’
The ominous thing is New Zealand have never lost a World Cup final. England will need to build bigger walls on Saturday.
ENGLAND: Waterman 5 (Jones 28 8); Thompson 6, Scarratt 8, Burford 7.5 (Reed 65, 7), Wilson 7; Mclean 8, Hunt 7.5 (Mason 76); Cornborough 6 (Clark 70), Cokayne 6 (Fleetwood 70), Bern 9 (Lucas 70); Scott 6, Taylor 7; Matthews 7 (Millar-Mills 72), Hunter 7.5, Packer 7 (Noel-Smith 63, 6).