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 a scrappy affair for the Red Roses as they lost the ball due to lack of support at the ruck, something that had plagued them in the previous game, and looked less organised in attack. The positive was that their kicking out of hand was exceptional, with kicks from scrum-half Natasha Hunt and centre Amber Reed putting Canada on the back foot.
It was Reed’s kick out to Claudia MacDonald on the wing that was the catalyst for England’s first try. Canada were penalised at the ruck after MacDonald had been tackled, and England kicked to the corner. The line-out was a scrappy affair, but Canada conceded a penalty and England kicked to the corner again. This time things went much more smoothly and the maul steamed across the line. Captain Marlie Packer scored, but Meg Jones, who was on kicking duty, failed to convert the try.
This seemed to galvanise England and a few minutes later Reed and MacDonald linked up again. A late inside ball from Reed to MacDonald saw the wing break through the middle and race away towards the corner, but a fantastic cover tackle from Paige Farries dragged her down five metres from the line.
But quick ball meant that Hunt was able to get the ball away to Jones on the short side, who passed to Ellie Kildunne on her inside. Kildunne used a combination of footwork and power to get across the line, scoring England’s second of the match.
And they nearly had a third a few minutes later when lock Zoe Aldcroft charged down a Canadian clearing kick, but the ball bounced out of the in-goal area before she could touch down.
England seemed to have shaken off some of their initial inaccuracy, and when Canadian flanker Senft was sent off for a high tackle that left Hannah Botterman bleeding, it seemed that the Red Roses were firmly in the driving seat.
But it appeared to have the opposite effect as a couple of England attacks ended in errors, while Canada began to grow into the game, enjoying a long period in the Red Roses’ half. They were held out thanks to some strong defensive efforts and their own poor line-outs, but were rewarded for their determination when Slimana charged down Holly Aitchison’s clearing kick and managed to regather the ball and score Canada’s opening try.
Errors from both teams saw possession change hands frequently in the closing stages of the first half, and both got close to scoring. Canada were let down by their own line-out throws, while England did get across the line a few minutes later, but the ball wasn’t grounded.
They had a second chance as half-time neared, and this time they made no mistake. Winning the line-out five metres from Canada’s line, England set up the maul. However, Canada did well to stop it legally and the Red Roses were forced to use the ball. A few big carries from Reed and Botterman generated quick ball, and prop Maud Muir crashed over from close range. Jones converted the try as the half-time gong sounded, making the score 17 – 5.
The Red Roses continued to look rather ropey in the second half as knock-ons blighted their attack. However, when they did manage to keep hold of the ball, they scored their fourth try through Amber Reed. She spotted the outside defender had rushed up expecting her to pass, but instead Reed glided through the hole she’d left in the defensive line to score. The conversion was successful and England were leading 24 – 5.
However, this was a brief bright spark as the Red Roses soon reverted to their rather more scrappy play. Loose passes, knock ons and poor decision-making meant that they didn’t get any real momentum. Packer thought she had scored her second try of the match, but she lost possession as she went to ground the ball and another scoring opportunity was wasted.
English errors were a boon for Canada, who gradually worked their way into the game and midway through the second half were seriously pressuring the Red Roses’ line. England’s defence held firm, twice managing to halt Canada’s maul before finally averting the danger thanks to a massive ruck clear-out by replacement Rosie Galligan, which gave England possession.
England’s final try of the afternoon was created by centre Jones, who used her pace to get on the outside of the defence before passing to winger Breach, who touched down.
Canada had the final say thanks to centre Taylor Perry, whose little dummy and big hand-off saw her break through. She had the pace to get to the line and score a well-deserved individual try. The conversion was successful, making the score 29 – 12, and that was how it stayed until the gong sounded for full-time a few minutes later.
POTM: In a team performance that did not exactly set the world alight, England’s centres stood out. Both Amber Reed and Megan Jones played very well – Reed’s distribution was excellent, and Jones’s passing and running really came to the fore, particularly in the second half. Both also showed skill with the boot, and they helped to set up a number of England’s tries. For me, Jones just edges it for her breaks and kicking game, as well as her solid defensive effort.
Analysis
This was not a vintage England performance, but with a lot of new combinations and changes from last week it was perhaps inevitable that there would be a certain lack of cohesion. However, the Red Roses will be disappointed with the number of errors, particularly in terms of dropped balls and poor passes.
They will also be disappointed not to have converted more opportunities into tries, particularly as they had an extra player on the field for the majority of the game. Usually they are good at scoring once they get into the 22 or make a break, but a number of chances went begging on Saturday. Partly this was down to good Canadian defence, particularly getting back to make cover tackles, but England will need to be clinical because they will only get a few opportunities against the likes of the Black Ferns and they will need to take them.
It was clear in both this game and last week’s that they are trying to play a bit more of an expansive style, going to the backs and relying less on pure forward dominance. However, while it worked quite well last week, this week it felt as though they should have gone through the forwards more, especially as the backs were often struggling to link up with each other. Perhaps going through the forwards for a few more phases to get the Canadian defence on the back foot would have helped the backs out, as when the ball did come to them they were often being harried by defenders who were ready and up on them quickly.
But it was not all negative. The kicking game continues to be effective, and kicks from Hunt, Jones and Aitchison in particular were good at exploiting the space in Canada’s backfield and wide channels, and the chases also put pressure on Canada. As mentioned above, Amber Reed and Megan Jones played well together in the centre, and with the likes of Tatyana Heard and Helena Rowland also competing for these places, it will be interesting to see who Louis Deacon selects as his first choice pairing in the WXV.
Overall, the Red Roses will be satisfied with two solid wins against a quality team, and with no injuries they head to New Zealand with a host of excellent players, ready to exorcise some World Cup demons.
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