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Key Battles: How the Red Roses dominated the Wallaroos

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - OCTOBER 20: Hannah Botterman of England scores a try during the WXV1 Match between England and Australia Wallaroos at Sky Stadium on October 20, 2023 in Wellington, New Zealand. (Photo by Mark Tantrum - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

WXV 1 Kicked off with a ferocious encounter between England and Australia that saw the world number one Red Roses dominate almost from the first whistle, winning by 42 points to the Wallaroos’ seven. Despite missing a number of big-name players, and with incoming head coach John Mitchell looking on, the Red Roses laid down a challenge to the rest of the competition. Here are a few of the key battles and why England won them.

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Front Row – Advantage England
What a first 40 for Hannah Botterman. She was everywhere, opening the scoring, threatening at the breakdown and a constant thorn in Australia’s side. She showed her set piece nous too, bending the Australian scrum and securing a penalty that gave her team a scoring opportunity. Connie Powell had a great game too, some nice breaks and solid contributions in the set piece.
For the Wallaroos front row it was a quieter day at the office. They held their own in the scrum against their opposition despite being the smaller group but struggled to make their mark in the loose.

Second Row – Advantage England
Australia’s Annabelle Codey was yellow carded for a shoulder to the head in the first half, and in the second half received another for a similar offence.
Her opposite numbers showed their usual lineout dominance and efficiently controlled the ball in the loose. Replacement Sarah Beckett saw yellow in the closing seconds, bearing the brunt for repeated infringements by her team defending their line.

Back Row – Advantage England
The battle of the sevens was the highlight in the backrow. Emily Chancellor was one of the best players in a green shirt, but Marlie Packer eclipsed even her, scoring two tries, winning turnovers and dominating the psychological battle.
Ashley Marsters, off the bench after 50 minutes, opened the scoring for the Wallaroos with a deft step through the English defence.

Half backs – Advantage England
Holly Aitchison’s best performance in the 10 shirt came at the right time to crown this new tournament. Flawless distribution, some powerful running and 100% accuracy from the tee showed exactly why her coaches have kept her in that spot. Ella Wyrwas scored her first international try and was a constant pest.
Layne Morgan distributed well for the Wallaroos and, prior to having to leave the field with what looked to be an elbow injury, Carys Dallinger showed some deft touches to create space for her team.

Centres – Tied
It was a suspiciously quiet first half for Meg Jones, but alongside Tatyana Heard she quietly got on with her business, biding her time before popping up to increase the English lead in the second half.
Arabella Mackenzie kept her team ticking even when the game was lost and stepped up as their chief playmaker once Dallinger left the field.

Outside Backs – Advantage England
Australia’s Ivania Wong showed flashes of what a danger she could be, though her finest moment came early in the second half when her searing pace saved Australia from conceding another try by rescuing a loose ball close to the try line.
Jess Breach scored a trademark try for the Red Roses while Abby Dow seemed determined to snuff out every Australia attack on the flanks.

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J
Jfp123 17 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

It will be great if Jalibert improves in defence, but unless and until he improves substantially, I think he should be out of the running for the national team. If you look at the French A side, attack is not usually so much of a problem - they scored 200 points in the last 6 nations without MJ on the pitch. Defence however can be an issue, Penaud isn’t the greatest in that area for a start. So a 10 who is solid in defence is badly needed. And given his poor defence record, MJ would be bound to be targeted by shrewd coaches like Rassi and Razor, so he needs to be able to withstand that.

Also, given sufficient improvement in defence, there are still factors which tell against MJ. I think the 7/1 bench has been a very successful experiment, and for that you need flexible backs who can play in more than one position in case of injury. Then there’s how well the 10 plays with France’s best 9, Dupont. And even if you think MJ is better when there’s no Dupont or 7/1 split, stability in a test team is important, so it’s better not to go chopping and changing the 10 needlessly. There’s also the question of temperament - MJ doesn’t shine at his brightest when it really matters, eg WC quarters and Top14 finals, and look at his test record over the past 2 years.

I see Ntamack as by far the best option at 10. Rugby is a team game, and apart from his excellent defence, there’s his partnership with Dupont, his versatility, and all the other skills that go to making a great team player and a great 10. He’s excellent under the high ball, an area where France tend to have a weakness, and has fine strategic and team management skills, great handling skills and so on.

While having star quality is important, it’s not the be all and end all, as illustrated by UBB this season. Imo, though undoubtedly very good, they underperformed. With best wings, best 9, as Dupont barely played in the Top14, with Jalibert and leading centres and 15, plus a strengthened forward pack, they couldn’t match ST in points scored, despite the latter’s huge injury list which left some positions seriously weakened, at least on paper.

For next season, I hope ST are back to their scintillating best with injuries healed, that LBB is back to rude health for UBB, that the exciting promise of La Rochelle’s and Toulon’s new recruits bears fruit, Bayonne continue to defy their budget and we have a cracking, highly competitive Top14 and Les Bleus triumphant in the autumn internationals and six nations!

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