HUNTER’S GIRLS IN FOR THE KILL
Holders see off France... now bring on Kiwis
SARAH HUNTER’S holders booked a date with New Zealand in Saturday’s final, after having to hold off a French revolution in Belfast.
France were playing in their seventh semi-final but have never made the showpiece, and Hunter’s heroines made sure they drew another blank.
Skipper and No.8 Hunter, 31, led the charge for the holders on her 97th appearance for England, but it was rookie prop Sarah Bern who scored the gamebreaker. The 20-year-old smashed over in the 60th minute to give her side a foothold in the game, after they had spent piles of it hanging on by their fingernails.
Bern put in a massive 14 carries as well – amazing for a woman who is a converted back-rower and played her first game in the front row in a Test match. And Meg Jones put a gloss on it at the death with England’s second score with the last play.
But it was not plain sailing by any means.
England cruised through their pool, belting Spain, Italy and USA, but this was a different ball game and it was Rorke’s Drift-style defence from the off for Hunter’s girls. Incredibly, they were first on the scoreboard after 17 minutes, when centre Emily Scarratt banged over a penalty from 30 metres.
Scarratt has been a bit of a hit-and-miss merchant in this tournament so far but made no mistake.
Then the French piled forward and it would have been criminal if they had drawn a blank in the first half.
They got their reward when wing Shannon Izar levelled it up, after Bristol flanker Marlie Packer had been pinged for a high tackle.
By this time, England had been weakened by the loss of Danielle Waterman, who failed a head injury assessment, and was the only English player to start all three pool matches. Game on.
The boot was on the other foot when England’s pack, driven by Hunter and Packer, went close and Scarratt opened up a three-point lead on 52 minutes.
But then came Bern’s piledriver and Jones dug the stiletto in.
The Kiwis destroyed the Americans 45-12 in the other semi-final.