WOMEN'S WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE

England won their first game of the Women’s World Cup with an eight try mauling of France to give themselves a great chance of winning the third place play off on Saturday against the same opponents.

Both teams had already missed out on their chance to make the final after falling to Australia and New Zealand in earlier games, but still had much to prove on a sweltering night at Mount Pleasant.

Two tries in the first 10 minutes, through Holly Myers and Katie Cooper-Birkenhead, put England in a comfortable lead.France countered but Myers took advantage of a well worked overlap to touch down in the corner for her second.

Natalie Gilmour was in imperious form with the boot, as she landed two difficult conversions from the wide left and right, and then raced 25 metres to score a try of her own in front of the posts which put England 22-0 ahead at the break.

Any chance of a French revival in the second half was undermined when Danielle Titterington got her name on the score sheet, as England once again used width to their advantage.

Amy Hardcastle was over soon after to put Chris Chapman’s side 32 points to the good.

Tara Stanley increased the lead on the hour mark, with England spirits rising ahead of the repeat fixture at Hunslet and Myers completed her hat trick soon after.

French scrum-half Elisa Ciria intercepted an England pass to race away 80 metres and get her first try of the tournament but that was mere consolation.

England Head Coach Chris Chapman commented; “We’re reasonably pleased. We got a win but we didn’t really play the way we wanted to.

“The players have played their heart out all tournament and really come on as rugby players. If a couple of decisions had gone our way especially in the first game we’d be in the final but that’s how it goes.”

ENGLAND
Stanley, Titterington, Hardcastle, Gilmour, Myers, Welsby, Cooper-Birkenhead, Field, Hall, McGinnis, Sutcliffe, Freestone, Halloran, Slowe, Forsell, Bound, Moroney

FRANCE
Miorin, Boina, Guigue, Lacoste, Jean, Varela, Ciria, Signoret, Delas, Pittana, Mikalef, Fauvelle, Zagdhoudi, Campanella, Lloria, Lenet, M’Raidi