Red Roses beat France in Whangarei
Emily Scarratt scored 13 points as the Red Roses recorded a 13-7 win over France in their second match of the Rugby World Cup
England top Pool C after beating Les Bleues at Northlands Event Centre, Whangarei, and extend their record-breaking run of Test wins to 27 in-a-row.
Little separated the sides early on as they jostled for possession and territory, with England looking dangerous in attack and France showcasing some astute tactical kicking. The women in blue lost talismanic scrum half Laure Sansus and hard running number eight Romane Menager to injury inside the opening quarter, such was the ferocity of the Test.
England broke the deadlock on the 24-minute mark after 14 phases of play on the opposition line. Leanne Infante provided quick ball to Zoe Harrison, who hit Emily Scarratt on a switch line, and the centre powered over from close range before converting the effort for a 7-0 lead.
Sarah Hunter - earning her 137th cap and joining level with Rocky Clark as England's most-capped player of all time - continued to marshal her forwards as they made hard yards and forced penalties, one of which enabled Scarratt to extend the Red Roses' lead to 10-points on the stroke of half time.
Though the lead at the break was slender, the stats told a different story, as Simon Middleton's charges carried for 148 more metres, beat nine more defenders, made 82 more carries, whilst boasting 73% possession, and forcing France to make 127 tackles to their 35.
England struggled to convert opportunity to points early into the resumption: a clever chip from Harrison collected deep in French territory by Claudia MacDonald scuppered by a handling error, a Sarah Bern surge over the line denied by staunch defence, and an Amy Cokayne effort thwarted at the lineout.
Scarratt steadied the side with another penalty taking her personal tally to 13, as the match entered the final quarter, but France answered with their first score moments later. A cross field kick was swiped up by wing Joanna Grisez, who was brought down short of the English line, but was able to provide a pass to substitute Gaelle Hermet who went over for the try. Caroline Drouin converted to make it 13-7.
France piled on the pressure in the final 10 minutes, but England's defence held on, spearheaded by World Rugby Player of the Year Zoe Aldcroft, as well as finishers Poppy Cleall and Hannah Botterman. Middleton's side finished strongly, threatening the French line until the final whistle blew, and Harrison cleared the ball into touch confirming victory.
The Red Roses are on a 11-match winning streak against France and have won 15 of the last 16 meetings. They have not been defeated since July 2019, when they lost to New Zealand in San Diego, and will look to continue their record of reaching the semi-final in each Rugby World Cup.
Reaction
Emily Scarratt: "It was a proper Test match, and it was always going to be super tough. To come out with the win and still with things to work on is a good place to be. There wasn't much free space, the French defence was amazing.
"This competition is about winning games and we have won two of them, certainly taking nothing for granted moving forward, but realising we still have a long way to go and can still keep building.
"Sarah Hunter is mega, I think this was her 25th Test against just France - there was people on the field today that haven't got 25 Test caps, she is unbelievable, she leads from the front, speaks so well and her ability to put her body on the line over and over again is quite ridiculous."
Teams
Red Roses
Starters
15. Ellie Kildunne, 14. Lydia Thompson, 13. Emily Scarratt, 12. Helena Rowland, 11. Claudia MacDonald, 10. Zoe Harrison, 9. Leanne Infante, 1. Vickii Cornborough, 2. Amy Cokayne, 3. Sarah Bern, 4. Zoe Aldcroft, 5. Abbie Ward, 6. Alex Matthews, 7. Marlie Packer, 8. Sarah Hunter (C).
Finishers
16. Connie Powell, 17. Hannah Botterman, 18. Maud Muir, 19. Cath O'Donnell, 20. Poppy Cleall, 21. Lucy Packer, 22. Holly Aitchison, 23. Abby Dow.
France
15. Chloe Jacquet, 14. Joanna Grisez, 13. Maelle Filopon, 12. Gabrielle Vernier, 11. Emilie Boulard, 10. Caroline Drouin (VC), 9. Laure Sansus, 1. Annaelle Deshaye, 2. Agathe Sochat (VC), 3. Clara Joyeux, 4. Celine Ferer (C), 5. Madoussou Fall, 6. Charlotte Escudero, 7. Marjorie Mayans, 8. Romane Menager.
Replacements
16. Laure Touye, 17. Coco Lindelauf, 18. Assia Khalfaoui, 19. Safi N'Diaye, 20. Gaelle Hermet, 21. Pauline Bourdon, 22. Lina Queyroi, 23. Marine Menager.
Fixtures & Results
Red Roses 13 - 7 France
Red Roses v South Africa - Sunday 23 October (5:45 am)
