Red Roses overpower Australia in Wellington
England scored six tries at Sky Stadium in their opening WXV fixture.
Tries from Hannah Botterman, Ella Wyrwas, Jess Breach, Meg Jones and a brace from captain Marlie Packer secured victory in the side's opening WXV fixture in Wellington.
The Wallaroos responded with a try from Ashley Marsters in the second half, but Holly Aitchison converted all six of her side's scores to confirm the 42-7 win.
A strong start from England awarded them early territory in the opening exchanges, and a short-range lineout created the opportunity for Botterman to crash in for the opening try.
A turnover in open play forced the attacking overlap which led to the Red Roses' second score. Quick hands through the backs saw Jess Breach with ball in hand. Footwork and pace brought play to within five metres, where an offload to Wyrwas opened a gap for the scrum half to score.
Wallaroos second row Annabelle Codey was shown a yellow card for an upright tackle on Packer and the England forwards took immediate advantage of their additional player. A driving maul from the resulting lineout rumbled forward and the England captain dotted down unopposed.
Louis Deacon's side closed off the first half with a bonus point-securing try through Breach. Parked deep inside Wallaroos territory, Wyrwas spotted a gap on the blind side and the left wing walked in for the fourth score of the evening.
England made their intentions clear in the opening minutes of the second forty as scrum dominance earned an early penalty in Australia's 22. Botterman came within inches of a second try, only to be denied on the line by a knock-on.
They didn't have to wait long for another opportunity, however. Patience from the pack afforded another chance for the line, and it was Packer who capitalised off the back of a driving maul for her second score of the evening.
The Wallaroos eventually found the line in the 54th minute when replacement Marsters stretched over from close range, but celebrations were short-lived as England responded almost immediately; Wyrwas hit Jones on a tight angle and the centre weaved her way through the defence to score.
Australia were reduced to 14 players for the final quarter when second row Codey was shown another yellow card for a high challenge on Wyrwas in the build-up to the try.
Sarah Beckett was then shown a yellow card in the final minute of play, but Australia couldn't capitalise on the resulting penalty and a knock-on with the clock in the red drew an end to the contest.
A meeting with familiar opponents Canada awaits the Red Roses in Dunedin next week (07:00 BST) ahead of their final WXV outing against hosts New Zealand in Auckland on 4 November (06:00 GMT). All games will be streamed live on ITVX.
TEAMS
England
15. Helena Rowland, 14. Abby Dow, 13. Megan Jones, 12. Tatyana Heard, 11. Jessica Breach, 10. Holly Aitchison, 9. Ella Wyrwas, 1. Hannah Botterman, 2. Connie Powell, 3. Maud Muir, 4. Rosie Galligan, 5. Zoe Aldcroft, 6. Maisy Allen, 7. Marlie Packer (C), 8. Alex Matthews
Replacements
16. Lark Atkin-Davies, 17. Mackenzie Carson, 18. Kelsey Clifford, 19. Sarah Beckett, 20. Daisy Hibbert-Jones, 21. Natasha Hunt, 22. Sophie Bridger, 23. Emma Sing
Australia
15. Faitala Moleka, 14. Maya Stewart, 13. Georgina Friedrichs, 12. Arabella McKenzie. 11. Ivania Wong, 10. Carys Dallinger, 9. Layne Morgan, 1. Brianna Hoy, 2. Tania Naden, 3. Eva Karpani, 4. Michaela Leonard, 5. Annabelle Codey, 6. Siokapesi Palu, 7. Emily Chancellor, 8. Kaitlan Leaney.
Replacments
16. Adiana Talakai, 17. Bree-anna Cheatham, 18. Emily Robinson, 19. Atasi Lafai, 20. Ashley Marsters, 21. Sarah Dougherty, 22. Cecilia Smith, 23. Desiree Miller
FIXTURES AND RESULTS
Red Roses 50-24 Canada - Sandy Park
Red Roses 29-12 Canada - StoneX Stadium
WXV1
Red Roses 42-7 Australia
Red Roses v Canada - Dunedin - 07:00 BST
Red Roses v New Zealand - Auckland - 06:00 GMT
