Lessons for England after victory in hostile territory
Red Roses’ hard-earned 20-10 win in France was full of useful pointers,
England must come out of the blocks faster
The Red Roses were on the back foot for the first 10 minutes in Clermont-ferrand and struggled to match the intensity brought by France. While England demonstrated their resilience when they were under the cosh and capitalised on momentum swings, it was a good half an hour before they grasped control of the game. “We knew we had to ride that storm,” said captain Sarah Hunter. “We probably didn’t come out the blocks as we would want to but managed to get points on the board and slowly get into our game. Moving forward, we have to do that a bit quicker.”
Scarratt and Daley-mclean prove top-class kickers
England’s two tries came from quick-fire catch-and-drive line-outs, an area head coach Simon Middleton has fine-tuned with forwards coach Richard Blaze. Middleton was also full of praise for his side’s kicking game: Katy Daley-mclean effortlessly pinpointed the ball back into French territory, while Emily Scarratt’s two penalties and two conversions took her past 500 points in her Test career. She remains only seven behind Daley-mclean, England’s all-time top scorer.
Playing in intimidating stadiums is valuable
Middleton is gearing his squad towards the World Cup in 2021 in New Zealand. The Red Roses defied a raucous atmosphere at the Stade Marcel Michelin and such exposure in hostile environments will form a key part of the squad’s World Cup preparations.
“We did talk about having to win in environments like this and perform well enough to get a result,” said Middleton. “Because in two years’ time, we’re going right to the lion’s den and this is as close to the type of environment as we’re likely to experience.”