England
Ellie Kildunne Swept up at the back when called upon and joined the line to create an overload in the wider channels. Her kicking game needs work. 7
Abby Dow Showed blistering pace for her try to get things going for England after a rocky start. Ran superb lines throughout and was ever-present off the shoulder. 7
Helena Rowland Wasn’t able to influence the game as she normally does at first or second receiver, she seemed lost at times. Battled with her kicking as well. 5
Tatyana Heard Now the undisputed owner of the No. 12 jersey. Ran the perfect line and the perfect moment throughout a blockbuster game. Direct and accurate, her passing was equally effective. Brilliant. 8
Claudia MacDonald Nursing an injury and was replaced on 49 minutes. Played her part in Dow’s try with the final pass. Got caught on occasion under high balls down her wing. 7
Holly Aitchison Couldn’t assert any dominance with the boot and occasionally lost her outside runners. Did the basics well enough to stitch together a few neat first-phase moves. 6
Lucy Packer It’s always a lot easier for a scrum-half when the pack is so dominant and in the first half Packer was a live wire. She deserved a try and almost got one. Understandably faded in the second half as France rallied. 7
Hannah Botterman Came up with an important steal when England were under the cosh in the early exchanges. Scrummed with authority and contributed around the park. 8
Lark Davies Struggled at times with her lineout. Made up for it with strong carries, tight defence and a try from a rumbling maul. 7
Sarah Bern Immense in the scrum. Her all-round play was noteworthy, too, as she contributed with a fine pass in Aldcroft’s try late in the first half. 7
Zoe Aldcroft A towering presence and a threat in the lineout. She showed a clean pair of heels to scamper over for a try of her own. 7
Sarah Beckett Some thumping hits, most notably on Manae Feleu, which sent a shock wave around the ground. Provided the requisite heft in that engine room. 8
Sadia Kabeya Immense on both sides of the ball, her tenacity in the tackle allowed England to gain regular front-foot ball. She made 20 tackles and carried 14 times for more than 100 metres to be player of the match, deservedly. 9
Marlie Packer A leader by example and arguably the most valuable player in the world. Underlined her team’s dominance with a typically aggressive try forged from a bulldozing run. 8
Alex Matthews Showed great awareness to score her try off the back of a dominant scrum. A strong shift from the No 8 that showed off the depth of England’s loose forwards factory. 7
REPLACEMENTS Connie Powell (for Davies, 66) Four tackles in second-half siege 6; Mackenzie Carson (for Botterman, 49) Scrum fell apart on her watch 5, Maud Muir (for Bern, 66) Scrum faltered with her 5, Poppy Cleall (for Beckett, 56) Four strong carries and didn’t miss a tackle 7, Morwenna Talling (for Kabeya, 74) n/a, Natasha Hunt (for L Packer, 76) n/a, Amber Reed (for Heard), lacked requisite punch 6, Jess Breach (for MacDonald, 49) Mazy runs and one brilliant tackle 6
France
Émilie Boulard 6; Cyrielle Banet 7, Marine Ménager 5, Gabrielle Vernier (pictured) 8, Mélisande Llorens 6; Jessy Trémoulière 4, Pauline Bourdon 7; Yllana Brosseau 5, Agathe Sochat 6, Rose Bernadou 5, Manae Feleu 6, Audrey Forlani 6, Axelle Berthoumieu 6, Gaëlle Hermet 5, Charlotte Escudero 7
REPLACEMENTS Assia Khalfaoui (for Berthoumieu, 40) 6, Romane Ménager (for Forlani, 47) 6, Ambre Mwayembe (for Brosseau, 61) 5, Émeline Gros (for Bernadou, 67) 7, Carla Arbez (for Boulard, 70) 6, Alexandra Chambon (for Bourdon, 70) 6, Maëlle Filopon (for M Ménager, 72) 6
