A different venue, a different squad, but same result for the Red Roses as they beat Canada for the second week running to seal the two-test series. England made eight changes to the team which won 50 – 24 last week, but the margin of victory was reduced to seventeen points as they ran in five tries to win 29 – 12 at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday. The closer score reflected the difference for both sides between last week’s fixture and this game, as a much-changed England side struggled with consistency, while Canada had clearly benefited from an extra week together. The first ten minutes were ..read more

The Red Roses started the season in style with 50 – 24 victory over Canada in their first game since winning the Six Nations in the spring. The hosts scored eight tries as they racked up a half-century against their World Cup semi-final opponents, to the delight of the crowd at Exeter’s Sandy Park. It didn’t take long for England to open their account, with the first try coming just a couple of minutes into the game. Some big runs from Marlie Packer and Lark Atkin-Davies gave England momentum, and fly-half Holly Aitchison put in a little kick over the top of the Canadian defence. Red Roses ful ..read more

While most of the rugby world’s attention is focused on some tournament that’s going in France at the moment, the Red Roses are gearing up for one of the most action-packed seasons in their history. They head to New Zealand in October to play in the inaugural WXVs competition, before aiming to defend their Six Nations crown next spring. But before all that, they welcome World Cup semi-final opponents Canada to these shores for a two-Test treat which promises to be the perfect curtain-raiser to the 2023/24 season. Following yet another stellar Six Nations campaign which saw them crowned Grand S ..read more

 The Red Roses suffered an agonising defeat as they lost out to New Zealand by just three points in the World Cup final on Saturday. The Black Ferns won 34 – 31 to lift the trophy and become champions for the sixth time in an action-packed game that showcased the absolute best of the women’s game.  Although they were playing in front of a huge home crowd at Auckland’s Eden Park, England looked unphased in the early stages of the game, putting the hosts under pressure and looking good in attack. A nice backs move off an early line-out saw wing Abby Dow get the ball out wide, and she p ..read more

The Red Roses faced their toughest test yet as they were pushed all the way by a physical Canadian side who came close to ending England’s unbeaten run and knocking them out of the World Cup. However, two tries from Abby Dow and one from Marlie Packer, plus eleven points from the boot of Emily Scarrattm saw the Red Roses beat Canada 26 – 19.  The Red Roses started brightly, defending well and then winning a turnover which allowed Zoe Harrison to boot the ball clear. With territorial advantage England put the pressure on Canada and were rewarded when a knock-on gave them a scrum.  The ..read more

England eased into the World Cup semi-finals with a 41 – 5 win over Australia in a game which saw both teams battle to overcome the foul weather which soaked the pitch and the players, and made simply catching the ball an increasingly difficult proposition.  The rain was at its worst in the early stages of the game, hammering down so hard that the pitch was soon waterlogged and players made a splash every time they went to ground.  In light of these conditions, England tried to keep it tight, kicking for field position and using their maul to advance down the field. Inevitably there ..read more

 The Red Roses finished the World Cup pool stages in style as they beat South Africa 75 – 0 on Sunday afternoon. There were hat tricks for Rosie Galligan and Connie Powell as England scored thirteen tries, and the win means they top their pool and go through to the quarter-finals, where they will face Australia.  The opening stages of the game saw South African No. 8 Aseza Hele bust through the English defence with a typically strong run, but when England won a penalty and kicked to the corner a couple of minutes later, things looked ominous for the South African defence.  Sure ..read more

 There’s a small child running up and down the street outside my flat, and I can only assume it’s because they’re so excited about the fact that the World Cup kicks off next Saturday that they can’t contain themselves.  Yes, that’s right, at long last the 2021 edition of the tournament to find the best women’s rugby team in the world is here! It may be a year late due to Covid, but now that the Kiwis have reopened their borders, eleven teams have flown to New Zealand to compete for the chance to be crowned world champions (plus the Black Ferns themselves, but they didn’t need to fly ..read more

With the World Cup in New Zealand less than two months away, the Red Roses have been training hard over the past few weeks and are set to play two warm-up games against the USA and Wales in September. The reigning Six Nations champions will travel to Exeter for their first game against the USA on 3rd September, before playing a newly professional Wales side in Bristol on the 14th. Head coach Simon Middleton has named a settled squad, the vast majority of whom featured in the 2022 Six Nations. Sarah Hunter continues as captain with Emily Scarratt as her deputy, and the inclusion of players like ..read more

The Red Roses have retained their Six Nations title for the fourth consecutive year as they were crowned Grand Slam Champions after a hard-fought win against rivals France in Bayonne. Two tries for Sarah Bern, and one for Abby Ward, along with Emily Scarratt’s impeccable performance off the kicking tee, saw England beat Les Bleues 24 – 12 and lift the Six Nations trophy once again. But the afternoon started badly for the Red Roses after an uncharacteristic knock-on from fly-half Zoe Harrison gave France a scrum just metres from their opponents’ line. They then conceded a free kick, which was q ..read more