#england-women

#england-women

Ssshhhhhhhhh! The talking is over, for now at least, and England's World Cup is about to begin. The bad news is they start with a tough game against South Africa. The good news is they start with a tough game against South Africa. Victory today would give England instant momentum and legitimise the cautious confidence of their pre-tournament chatter. An excellent win over Australia in their last warm-up has increased that confidence.

22 mins: We go again with another scrum, but not before plenty of disagreement between both front rows and the referee over their starting marks. Share 21 mins: A brief pause as Talling has tape applied to her hand. Scotland have actually edged possession in the first quarter, but need a score to make England at all nervous. Share 20 mins: A first scrum, with Scotland putting in and winning the ball through Brebner-Holden, whose kick-through has Natasha Hunt under pressure. She can't afford a mistake behind the posts, but tidies up effectively. Share

Fifty tries is a phenomenal feeling but I think the forwards did a big job in the middle. The inside backs were able to release me to get over the white line. It means everything: there is so much history within the Red Roses and to be able to pass 50 tries is incredible. I am sure Ellie [Kildunne] and Abby [Dow] will be there soon as well.

Half of Samoa's squad had to fundraise to be able to attend this Rugby World Cup, with no contracts in place, and some have taken unpaid leave from their jobs to represent their country. England, on the other hand, have been a professional outfit for more than five years and have now swept aside their opponents in 59 of their last 60 matches, that one loss coming in the last World Cup final.

The dust has settled on the opening weekend of the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 ­- and what a weekend it was. If you weren't one of the record number of viewers to tune in to any of the weekend's games, you might take a look at some results and think it was just a mash-up of one-sided affairs lacking genuine competition and jeopardy.

England's tactical adjustments were evident as they replaced previous players and shifted formations, helping them achieve a dominant 4-0 victory against the Netherlands.

England Women will embark on a quest to defend their UEFA Euro 2025 title in Switzerland after lifting the trophy in 2022 on home soil.