Player Comparisons: Scotland battle hard but England stroll to victory

Despite the drizzle in the air and greasy conditions on the ground, a dominant display from the Red Roses saw them run out 59-7 winners in a one-sided affair against Scotland in round 4 of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

Six tries ahead at half time, England were barely in second gear going into the break. Scotland clawed a try back in the second 40 and later in the half found the intensity that had been lacking for much of the game, while England added a further two tries and never really broke a sweat.

Front Row – advantage England

From the first minute, the power of the English pack dominated and their front row turned that into a penalty advantage. Scotland’s line out chaos will be hard to watch back for hooker Lana Skeldon, whilst Lark Atkin-Davies was, as usual, efficient and accurate with her throws and added a try in the dying moments of the first half.

Anne Young, at loosehead prop for Scotland, was particularly targeted by her opposite number and was already receiving warnings after five minutes, conceding a second advantage to England that her Red Roses equivalent, Kelsey Clifford, turned into a try.

That such a dominant English front row would be replaced ten minutes into the second half might raise eyebrows, but with replacements the calibre of Hannah Botterman, Maud Muir and May Campbell, the domination continued unabated.

Second Row – honours even

Becky Boyd and Sarah Bonar combined excellently for Scotland, contesting well at lineouts, working tirelessly in defence and making some hard carries too. Bonar in particular repeatedly slowed down the English attack and can consider herself responsible for ensuring the scoreline wasn’t even higher.

Abbie Ward scored the Red Roses’ fifth try, using her power to propel her ball-carrying hand over the line. Otherwise, it was a quiet day at the office for Ward and her colleague in the engine room, Rosie Galligan. They did nothing out of place but their particular brand of hard tackling simply wasn’t required.

Back Row – advantage England

Marlie Packer’s 50th try for England capped off a classic performance that featured all her greatest hits – hard carries, big tackles and an eye for the try line. That she was followed just a couple of minutes later by a perfect read and steal from Zoe Aldcroft that saw her run, gazelle-like, up the field for a solo try, epitomised the constant danger from the Red Roses back row.

Evie Gallagher continues to be a shining light for Scotland. A demon at the breakdown and, in the absence of Rachel Malcolm, a leader by example.

Rachel McLachlan and Jade Konkel both worked hard but without much success, as their opposite numbers dominated. Gemma Bell, who made her debut with eight minutes left to play, had no real opportunity to show what she can bring.

Half Backs – advantage England

Holly Aitchison packed her kicking boots for the trip to Leicester, converting every try in the first half to ensure her team earned maximum points and effectively put the game away with 40 minutes still to play. She was a danger with ball in hand too, her flat, bullet pass is eerily predictable yet seems to land in the right hands almost every time.

Lucy Packer kept her teammates ticking with a fast and reliable service at the ruck, and although strong communication isn’t the flashiest of skills, they are so important, and she does both flawlessly. When she was replaced England leant on Natasha Hunt to be the catalyst for more attacks.

Scotland’s Caity Mattinson and Helen Nelson were given nothing to work with. Mattinson buzzed about and Nelson kicked well when the opportunity presented itself, but without good ball from their forwards, they were neutralised.

Rhea Clarke and Rachel Phillips both came off the bench to earn their first caps and Scotland fans will be hopeful that these young players can provide meaningful challenge to the incumbents in the half-back shirts.

Centres – advantage England

A couple of lovely breaks from Jade Shekells showed why John Mitchell views her as the understudy for Tatyana Heard. She combined well with Meg Jones and the pair were the pivot for many English attacks. Emily Scarratt and Helena Rowland entered the game in the second half and did what was needed to see the game out, but lacked the spark of the pair they replaced.

For Scotland Emma Orr tackled well and provided tenacity and a lovely steal that her teammates failed to capitalise on. Lisa Thomson, hanging off the back of a rolling maul, ensured Scotland wouldn’t be nilled as she managed to get under the English defence to score.

Outside Backs – advantage England

If Claudia Macdonald hasn’t done enough to earn herself a starting shirt against France, I don’t know what more John Mitchell wants from his wingers. A constant threat, she scored England’s fourth try after a series of lovely attacking breaks. She added a second to open the scoring in the second half and continued to harry Scottish defenders and draw players, creating opportunities for her teammates as often as for herself.

When Fran McGhie finally got hold of the ball, she made a lovely run that was ultimately snuffed out. Chloe Rollie worked tirelessly as the last (and often only) line of defence for Scotland and should be pleased with her effort in the hardest of circumstances. A late yellow card for a deliberate knock on showed how desperate she was to block every attack.

Ellie Kildunne was untroubled at full back, but quieter than you might expect when she had ball in hand, while Abby Dow saw the ball half a dozen times and made a penetrating run every time before finally scoring a world class solo try as she powered through multiple tacklers to score the eighth try of the afternoon for the home side.

She added a second, after a lovely pass from MacDonald, to put a bow on a great performance from England’s back three.