Red Roses run riot in Bristol
England Women continue their impressive Six Nations winning run with a 46-10 victory over Wales
19,705 fans packed into Ashton Gate as John Mitchell’s side ran in eight tries to secure the 46-10 victory and extend their unbeaten run in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations to 26 games.
The tries came from Maud Muir, Zoe Aldcroft, Hannah Botterman, Lark Atkin-Davies, Abby Dow, Rosie Galligan and an Ellie Kildunne brace as Wales responded via a Keira Bevan try and a Lleucu George penalty.
Ioan Cunningham’s side started the game on the front foot, dominating possession in the early exchanges and pressing into the Red Roses 22. A scrum penalty afforded George an opportunity to kick the first points of the afternoon from directly in front of the posts.
But the fans inside Bristol's Ashton Gate didn't have to wait long for an England response. Abby Dow's break down the right flank almost immediately from kick-off set the platform for Muir to charge onto a retreating Wales defence for the home side's opening try.
Gloucester-Hartpury's Aldcroft barrelled over for the Red Roses' second try on the quarter hour mark; the 50-cap lock brushed off tackles from Hannah Jones and Jenny Hesketh to score from short range. The returning Holly Aitchison converted to extend the lead to nine.
Attempts by Wales to search for their opening try were thwarted when a Botterman turnover shifted momentum back the way of the Red Roses. Megan Jones broke the line and kicked forward for the chasing Jess Breach to collect. Support was close by and Bristol’s Botterman thumped her way over the whitewash to finish off the move she started.
A bonus point-securing try was the final act of the opening forty.as Atkin-Davies smuggled the ball over from the base of an ever-reliable English maul.
Mitchell’s side came out firing in the second half, zipping the ball from edge to edge in search of their fifth try. It didn’t take long; Kildunne found a gap in the far left corner to dot down after breaks from Aldcroft and Connie Powell forced Wales onto the back foot.
Dow scored her first try of the 2024 campaign in the opposite corner just minutes later. Breach put the Harlequins flyer into space with a pinpoint pass to finish off the opportunity after Tatyana Heard darted through the disrupted defensive line.
A determined response from the visitors paid off when Wales’ replacement scrum half Bevan caught England off guard after conceding a penalty in their own 22. The Bristol Bear pounced on the loose ball for a quick-tap score under the sticks.
England pushed into the forties with Galligan’s score on the hour mark before Kildunne crossed for her second try in spectacular fashion, showing exceptional awareness to dot the ball down before being bundled into touch.
The win caps off a perfect start for the Red Roses in the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations as they top the table heading into the first fallow week of the Championship.
