By England ruthlessly spoiled Wales’ Women’s World Cup debut on Saturday, storming to a 70-6 victory in Perth in their Group A opener. The Lionesses scored seven tries before the break and 13 in total, sending a clear warning to their tournament rivals.
England celebrate against Wales in Perth (Credits: BBC Sport)
For a fleeting moment, Wales were in dreamland. Paige Travis — who represented England at the World Cup four years ago — bundled over the line to spark wild celebrations and pull the debutants level inside the opening 10 minutes, capitalising on a string of English errors.
The shock of conceding to a team they had beaten by 114 points without reply in two previous meetings jolted Stu Barrow’s side into life. England are chasing a first-ever World Cup final appearance, and after that wake-up call they played like it.
Hat-Tricks for Boyd and Davies, Records for Rowe
Wing Anna Davies and debutant Connie Boyd both bagged hat-tricks in Perth, while Izzy Rowe was the undisputed star — scoring two tries and kicking nine conversions for a 26-point haul that equals the record for the most points by an individual England player in a Women’s World Cup match.
Boyd’s treble was a dream start to international rugby league for one of three England debutants on the day, alongside Jasmin Strange, who also grabbed her first try.
A Try of the Tournament Contender
The match was summed up by England’s tenth try. A promising Wales attack ended with a chipped kick to the corner, but the bounce fell kindly for Amelia Brown behind her own try line — and she raced 109 metres the length of the field to score one of the longest-range tries in women’s rugby league history, thoroughly demoralising Wales.
Boyd and Davies then wrapped things up with three tries in the final five minutes to seal the 70-6 rout. Wales threatened going forward but offered little resistance in defence as England’s powerful attack cut through with frightening ease.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
