Connie Boyd and Anna Davies both notched hat-tricks as England recorded a dominant 70-6 rout of Wales in their opening game of the Women’s Rugby League World Cup.
The Lionesses took the lead just four minutes into the game and never let up, scoring 13 tries in a sensational victory against a weak Welsh side that lacked quality in both attack and defence.
Boyd, Davies, and Isabel Rowe stood out, with the latter ending the match with a 26-point haul after scoring two tries and recording nine successful conversion attempts.
The win gives Stuart Barrow’s side a valuable platform in the pool stage ahead of their next match against a vaunted Australia side next Saturday, while Wales have work to do against Samoa to stand any chance of progressing.
England produce complete performance to dominate in tournament opener
Some deft attacking play from England early on set up Amelia Brown to bundle over after just four minutes, but Wales took advantage of some sloppy handling and an eventual penalty that allowed former England international Paige Travis to level the scores with Wales’ first World Cup try.
Their parity, though, was short-lived, with Megan Williams, Jasmin Strange, and Isabel Rowe linking up neatly to give centre Georgia Wilson a clear path to the tryline, before Hollie-Mae Dodd’s sharp offload allowed Connie Boyd to score on debut just three minutes later, giving England a 10-point lead after 24 minutes.
Wales struggled to contain England’s rapid tempo from then on, with Dodd, Boyd’s second of the day, a stunning solo effort from Anna Davies, and Rowe’s try on the stroke of half-time adding 24 points – thanks in no small part to Rowe’s excellent goal-kicking – to the scoreline to give England a seemingly unassailable 40-6 at the break.
The second half began in a similar fashion, with debutant Strange bundling over just after the restart, before Rowe crossed to take her side to a mammoth total of 50 points.
Winger Brown scored the try of the day minutes afterwards with a sensational run down the wing after receiving a kick behind her own tryline.
Interchange Jenna Foubister then produced a brilliant offload to facilitate Boyd’s hat-trick six minutes from time, with Davies going over twice in the final minutes to complete her treble and put the cherry on top of a brilliant victory to begin her side’s World Cup campaign.
Cunningham: Brown has got some pace!
England captain Jodie Cunningham, speaking on Premier Sports:
“It feels good. We knew Wales were going to come out really passionate, really energetic, and those first 10-15 minutes were tough, but proud of the girls the way they stuck into it.
“[Amelia Brown] has got some pace doesn’t she!
“She does that for fun in the Super League and I’m glad to see her do it in an England shirt.
“[Rowe] is so young but so mature in the way she plays. She takes us around the field, she’s so calm on the ball, and her kicking game was outstanding as well. Another one who’s got a really bright future.
“Job one done. We’ll regroup, see where we can improve – we’ve got a huge game next week.”
Dainton: Scoreline didn’t reflect the game
Wales captain Bethan Dainton, speaking on Premier Sports:
“So proud of the girls despite the scoreline. I don’t think it reflected the game – we were in the game for quite a bit of it.
“It was just some lapses in concentration that let England get on the front foot.”
What’s next in the Women’s Rugby League World Cup?
Friday October 23
Group A: Samoa v Wales – CommBank Stadium, Sydney (7.45am)
Saturday October 24
Group A: Australia v England – HBF Park, Perth (10.05am)
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
