VIDEO: John Mitchell's England too good for Australia
WRAP: It took world champions England 40 minutes to get going, but they eased to a comfortable 48-15 win over Australia in the end.
Replacement hooker Bryony Field scored on debut minutes after coming on as England ran in seven second-half tries of the WXV Global Series at CorpAcq Stadium to get the better of a determined Australia and claim their 39th test win in a row.
Field powered over on the second drive of a well-built England lineout maul 15 minutes into the second-half as the home side discovered the clinical edge they had missed for the first 40 minutes.
She had only been on the field seven minutes – coming on for May Campbell, whose last act had been to score the try that took England into the lead. But that was plenty of time for captain Meg Jones to touch down as the hosts took control.
Mia Venner added five more points two minutes after Field’s unforgettable debut moment. Sadia Kabeya crashed over by the posts four minutes later, and Lucy Packer scored England’s seventh of the match with 13 minutes left on the clock.
In 27 post-break minutes, England had turned the scoreboard on its head, after going into the break 10-5 down – behind on the scoreboard for the first time since they were 15-5 down to France in 2020.
Eva Karpani got a thoroughly deserved one back for Australia in the 74th minute. But England’s Claudia Moloney-MacDonald had the final try-scoring word, racing down the left wing to score.
While the second half was all about England, the story of the first half had to be Australia’s determined and organised defence.
It took rusty England until the last minute of the opening quarter to get on the scoreboard, through tireless player of the match Abi Burton, 10 minutes after captain Meg Jones had been denied a score following a charge down.
Their lead lasted less than 15 minutes, Australia tighthead Faliki Pohiva running through the last defender from close range after they had stolen an England lineout 5m out.
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In the other match, Canada started their 2026 WXV Global Series campaign well, overcoming Scotland 64-26 as Kévin Rouet put in a ruthless performance at Edinburgh’s Hive Stadium.
The visitors were quick to nail their first points on the board, with Lizzie Gibson finding the whitewash after a quick succession of phases that led to the openside flanker brushing the opposition before grounding the pill. Claire Gallagher added the extras.
Scotland tried to find their luck instantly after, but a cunning turnover from Florence Symonds would push Canada to find their second try of the afternoon, this time scored by Olivia Apps.
At the 15th minute mark, the hosts finally crossed the finish line with Evie Gallagher scoring from close range. However, Canada regained a 12-point margin almost instantly, as Olivia Apps assisted Lizzie Gibson for the back-rower to score from close range. Helen Nelson pulled the conversion through the goalposts.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 runners-up added their third and fourth five-pointers from Brittany Kassil and loose forward Julia Omokhuale, looking to be completely in the driver’s seat.
The locals managed to bank their second of the afternoon with Shona Campbell running unopposed to the in-goal area after a sensational strip of the ball from her teammate Rhea Clarke.
With one minute to go until the break, Canada seemed to have managed to land another finish, but Olivia Apps brace was ultimately chalked off due to an obstruction. The visiting side went to the short rest with a comfortable 31-12 lead.
Just as they had at the start of the match, Canada struck again within minutes. A well-executed team move ended with lock Rachel Smith delivering a wide pass to Taylor Perry, and the fly-half ran in unopposed to score.
As the clock ticked into the final half-hour, Apps seized on the narrowest opening and unleashed a dazzling sprint, with the scrumhalf powering over for her second try of the match.
The visitors went down to 13-players after Gabrielle Senft and Brittany Kassil were temporarily sent off, and Scotland capitalised to nail their third finish of the afternoon, this time from Rachel Malcolm. Nelson, with a superb kick almost from the corner, added the conversion.
But even with two players in the sin-bin, Canada extended their lead further as Justine Pelletier scored a try of her own.
Subsequently, match official Holly Wood received confirmation from the bunker that Kassil’s yellow card would be upgraded to a 20-minute red card due to the lack of mitigation regarding the high tackle.
Scotland added a fourth try thanks to a brilliantly executed cross-kick from Nelson, which sent Rhona Lloyd over for her first score of the game. Before the final whistle, Gabrielle Senft and Savannah Bauder crossed for a try apiece.
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Elsewhere, New Zealand kicked off the European leg of their WXV Global Series challenge with a competent 28-14 win over France at Lyon’s Matmut Stadium de Gerland.
Tries for winger Justine McGregor and backrow Mia Anderson gave the Black Ferns a 14-0 lead inside the opening half-hour, as they combined pace and power to devastating effect, and laid down a marker against a side they will face three more times back in New Zealand before the end of October.
They came close to a third just after the half-hour, but Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu was denied by a try-saving effort from Siobhan Soqeta
In contrast, France struggled to string phases together in the face of their opponents greater power and determination at the breakdown.
Shortly before half-time, Les Bleues gave the crowd something to cheer. Winger Léa Murie stepped and glided past several defenders in limited room out wide before passing inside to captain Pauline Bourdon Sansus, running a patented scrum-half supporting inside line.
But New Zealand re-established their lead soon after the restart, Mererangi Paul finishing a move started by forward pressure close to the France line.
France’s weak point was in the set-piece, and the Black Ferns exploited their advantage. But when Les Bleues moved it they were more dangerous – until rusty errors in technique handed the advantage back to the visitors.
Lina Queyroi, however, gave the home side hope, finishing off a superb team move that she had started with a well-judged chip. The ball then passed through the hands of Gabrielle Vernier and Kelly Arbey before finding its way back to the flyhalf.
But nine minutes from time Anderson broke through the defence, and shipped the ball to Liana Mikaele-Tu’u for the final score of the game, condemning France to their first international defeat on home soil to a side other than England since November 2018. That match? Against New Zealand.
Results:
England 48-15 Australia
Scotland 26-64 Canada
France 14-28 New Zealand
