The Red Roses secured a win in Grenoble yesterday against France. The women’s Six Nations champions beat France 33-10 to become the number one ranked side in the world.
The game which was televised live free-to-air on the BBC, saw the Red Roses produce a dominant display against an error strewn French side. France produced some good rugby in the first half and played with confidence but their final pass often went adrift. Individually, players performed well but as a team, they couldn’t seem to gel against a well drilled Red Roses side.
The Red Roses crossed for their first points of the match inside five minutes when Hooker, Amy-Cokayne scored from a powerful driving maul. However, France responded through their captain Gaelle Hermet on the 22nd minute as she barrelled her way over the try line. Les Bleues’ fly-half Caroline Drouin then traded penalties with Scarratt and the teams drew level at half time making the score 10-10.
Second half whitewash
However, Simon Middleton’s side proved too strong for the home side. Emily Scarratt’s side scored twenty three unanswered points in the second half to come away victorious. On the 43rd minute, fly half Helena Rowland’s spotted a gap in the French defence and ran a beautiful line, allowing Alex Mathews to dart over from close range under the posts. Three minutes later, Breach crossed for her 23rd test try in 14 tests. The talented winger broke through from inside her own half, using all of her blistering pace to touch down and increase England’s lead to 24-10.
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Scarratt’s accuracy off the tee cemented a triumphant England victory with three successful penalty kicks in the dying minutes of the game. Final score: 33-10 to England. The Red Roses now boast a six-match winning streak against France, and have won 10 of the last 11 meetings.
Red Roses ranked number one
The win saw the Red Roses move above world champions New Zealand, who will host the World Cup next July. Simon Middleton’s squad still have a lot of work to do between now and then but are an incredibly exciting team going forward. They’re showcasing week in week out their strength in depth within the squad and when they’re a fully fit side, will be a force to be reckoned with.
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