The Red Roses kicked off their WXV campaign in style with a 48-15 win over the Wallaroos in Salford. Here are the three big headlines from Saturday afternoon.
1) The Wallaroos have plenty to look forward to
This game finished 48-15 but the score-line is deceptive. In fact, Australia were up 10-5 at half-time and were more than matching England for the first 40 minutes. It was only as the teams both began making substitutions that England really took over the match. Australia will also be buoyed by impressive showings from their teenage stars, Caitlyn Halse and Waiaria Ellis who were crucial to the team's performance in the first half. On paper, this is another heavy defeat for Australia but in reality it was a sign of great things to come.
2)Zoe Harrison is clearly England's best fly-half
As I mentioned above, England only got going when changes were made in the second-half ; I don't think that was a coincidence. Zoe Harrison came on and immediately sharpened England's attack whilst blunting Australia's through her dominant kicking. Aitchison is an excellent player but Harrison's dynamism, kicking ability and mistake-free style of play make her the perfect fly-half for this iteration of the Red Roses.
3)England's depth is perhaps the team's greatest asset
As I have repeatedly mentioned, it was England's bench that made the difference. Being able to add: Maud Muir, Hannah Botterman and Marlie Packer to an already world-class pack is just unfair. Combine that power with the creativity of the backs on the bench and England winning was an inevitability. It's also worth looking at who wasn't selected for this team and who is currently unavailable due to injury or pregnancy. When you take those individuals into account, it's clear that England has the best (and deepest) player pool in the women's game.
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