Well thank you so much for joining me for this quarter-final, whether that be staying up to watch or starting your day early! England were clinical in terrible conditions to get the win over Australia but despite the score line they were challenged by their opposition. The Red Roses march on and they will play either Canada or the USA, that quarter-final is kicking off at 3.30am GMT. Have a great rest of your weekend!
This is the ninth time England have reached the semi-final stage of the World Cup, a familiar stage for them!
Player of the Match Marlie Packer told ITV: “Everything about this is about him [my son. I am here to do a job with England and to put those performances on, not just for me or Oliver but for the team.
“Australia were fantastic today but we will build from this to the next one.”
And on her progression: “I love the game, it drives me. For anyone to get involved, your local club at grassroots. Even if you don’t aspire to play for your country.”
England head coach Simon Middleton told ITV: “I don’t think we could have imagined how difficult the conditions were going to be. I thought we managed the game brilliantly.
“Sarah Hunter, record performance and that is so Sarah. It would have been so easy to get distracted but she turned it on. Marlie, another player on the march. You could go through the whole match, Bern on her 5oth had a great game.”
And on squad for semi: “To be honest we will have a look on how everyone has gone and how they brush up tomorrow It is a six day turn around. Canada or USA it’s going to be physical either way.”
A real highlight of England’s game today was their domination at the scrum. Given the amount of handling errors there were a lot of the set pieces and England managed to push Australia backwards time and time again.
England captain Sarah Hunter told ITV: “I think the thing that tops it all off has been the win. That is the focus, we are in knock-out rugby… Winning in this means the record cap number is even sweeter… It has been so surreal, I have had the most amazing support.
“Never in a million years [did I think I would break the record]. I just wanted one cap. I just wnated to play for England. I kept hanging on, it is like an addiction. The feeling to play for your country… hopefully there is more to come.”
On the match: “It was all about making sure we go that victory. We managed to assert ourselves, Australia were tough but I am pleased about how we overcame that.”
England are through but they do not know who they will be facing yet as the final quarter-final is to come. Canada play the USA and the winner of that will have England.
Australian players embrace as their World Cup journey is over, it must be heart-breaking but England were just too much for them today.
Full-time: England 41-5 Australia
England secure their semi-final with a business-like performance against Australia. The first half was tricky with conditions but they will take the win.
TRY! England 41-5 Australia (Packer, 80)
Packer has her hat-trick as she reaps the reward from the driving maul. Rowland converts!
Updated
79 min: Botterman knocks on in attack, handling errors are ever the weak link in England’s play. But they do come forward again as they run through the phases but it is called back for a deliberate knock on. Rowland kicks to the corner as England look to see this out with a try.
77 min: Australia win the scrum penalty but all the good work comes undone once with a knock on. England’s scrum is reset but they come away with it in the end.
75 min: England charge it down but Australia do enough to keep it, that is well done. England knock on in defence and Australia’s scrum is clean but they have a loose pass and Davies will have a line-out. It is good and they are marching to the line but Australia win the penalty! A great penalty for the Aussies and a well deserved one, despite the scoreline their defence has stood better than most against England.
72 min: Andy has got in touch on Twitter and said: “Is it the wind causing all the missed kicks, England going over at the corners, or Scarrett has toblerone shaped boots on?” The conditions have not been perfect but Scarratt could have done a lot better with a few of those kicks. Something she’ll sharpen I am sure before their semi-final which they are likely to have now. Australia on the attack.
71 min: Australia come away with it but they have to build from deep here. They opt to kick and England knock on in the air and so Australia play on with an advantage. They eventually kick away and England have it through Kildunne, then M Packer and they keep on coming. But it’s a forward pass from Galligan.
69 min: Rowland has another knock on, her third of the match. It’s an Australian scrum and they come away with it quickly. They want to hit England here, just need to be clinical. But Parry loses the ball and England kick it upfield. Kildunne does well to collect but there’s a knock on, Aussie scrum to come. Scarratt is off for Aitchison.
67 min: It is turning into a real England show now as Australia pile up the errors. Kildunne and Galligan are on for England.
TRY! England 34-5 Australia (Matthews, 65')
Australia did so well to keep England out for a long time and to not give away a penalty in that last attack but England keep knocking and Matthews is over. Scarratt’s kick is missed.
Updated
63 min: Davies loses it over the line but Australia gave away another penalty. The referee warns them once more, Harrison kicks to the corner again.
62 min: England have some slick play with Matthews getting a break and they get the advantage. Harrison puts in a cross field kick but Scarratt can’t quite collect, we come back to advantage and Harrison kicks to the corner. Before the line-out Infante is off for Packer.
60 min: Botterman thinks she has grounded that but the referee is having none of it, saying she spilled it. England aren’t happy with that and on the replays you can see why. Goal line drop out for Australia and England are on the attack again.
58 min: Australia knock on through Kemp and England have the scrum, much to the delight of Packer who is picked up on the ref mic. There’s a reset but England come away with it and kick away. Pauline Piliae-Rasabale kicks back but it goes straight out of play.
56 min: Muir and Botterman are also on for Bern and Corborough for England. Australia win a breakdown penalty with Botterman immediately giving ne away. Leonard is also off for Naiqama. Rowland spills once more and Australia will have the scrum.
54 min: England make their first changes as Davies and Cleall are on for Cokayne and Hunter. Australia are building from deep here.
TRY! England 29-5 Australia (Cokayne, 52')
Packer peels off the back of the maul and she offloads to Cokayne who dots down. Scarratt misses again.
Updated
52 min: Robinson gives away a penalty and England clear their lines. The line-out is clean and England are marching forward here. Harrison puts in a cross field kick but England were playing with the advantage. They kick to the corner.
49 min: There’s a slight break in play before we get back underway with some changes for Australia - Robinson is on for Patu and Korpani is on for O’Gorman.
49 min: England come away with it but Rowland drops and Australia have the scrum. England have a huge shove but Australia still come away with it. I have to say Australia look more secure with wide ball in hands, just as I type that they knock on. Classic commentators curse.
47 min: The kicking game comes into play and Harrison loses with the fly-half dropping it badly as she looks to pass. An Australian scrum is clean and they are on the run! But a forward pass harks them back and England have the scrum.
45 min: Australia on the attack here, there first opportunity of this half. But they knock on and England look to counter.
TRY! England 24-5 Australia (Ward, 43')
And just as I talk the Australia defence up, the TMO rules Ward’s shot wasn’t held up! Scarratt’s kick is missed.
Updated
43 min: Oh wow, wow, wow. England players cheer like mad but Australia hold them up. The Australia defence is seriously impressive here, yes England have some tries but Australia have stopped many chances. The TMO has spotted something for a check.
42 min: England showing the attack early in the second half with Heard and Thompson shining so far. Scarratt kicks the ball through and Dow ensures it is an England line-out. The driving maul to come…
Back underway! England 19-5 Australia
Can Australia capitalise on that try? Or will England close this out? We will soon find out …
I saw a tweet from the Rugby World Cup account saying Hunter not only becomes the most capped England player in this game, but the most capped women’s player of all time.
I just checked the time and got really confused as it’s 1.25am here in England. But the clocks went back at 2am, I have mentioned this already this morning but just wanted to note my confusion!
Half-time: England 19-5 Australia
England will be frustrated to give away that try at the death of the half there but they are still in control of this one. Two Packer tries and a score from Hunter sees them 19-5 up but Australia can take a lot of heart from Chancellor’s score.
TRY! England 19-5 Australia (Chancellor, 40')
Wow! Australia run it through the hands quickly and Chancellor picks a great line to crash over. I like to think my last post pushed them over the line! The conversion is missed
Updated
39 min: Parry is back from her sin binning but England have taken full control of this one. It feels as though Australia need to be the next to score.
TRY! England 19-0 Australia (Packer, 38')
England kick to the corner and the line-out works well again, Bern runs off the back to make great metres. They run through the phases and it is a bit of Packer magic that gets them over! Scarratt has the extras!
Updated
37 min: The line-out is good and McKenzie opts to kick to clear which gives England another opportunity. O’Gorman gives away a breakdown penalty and there is a break in play as some players receive some treatment.
35 min: Officially a giant has got in touch on Twitter and said: “With that amount of water on the pitch you have to ask yourself is it actually safe to play.” I can imagine there would have been some sort of pitch inspection but I’m unsure, I’ll see if I can find out about that. Back to the game, Hamilton does really well at the breakdown to keep the ball with Australia. The box kick is charged down by Infante but it goes out of play.
33 min: England have the scrum after another knock on but it is not surprising with this torrential rain. Infante passes from the back and they kick away but Piliae-Rasabale responds with a great kick of her own to reach halfway. England’s line-out is good again but Aldcroft loses it in the resulting phases.
TRY! England 12-0 Australia (Packer, 31')
The driving maul comes true again, this time Packer on the end. Scarratt can’t add teh extras.
Updated
30 min: It looks like Packer has held up her own try! So no try and we are coming back to an earlier penalty so England still have all the pressure. Harrison will kick to the corner and the referee warns Australia again.
29 min: England opt for the scrum and they are marching toward the line. They wing it out to Rowland and Packer thinks she is over but the referee can’t see a grounding. TMO check to come.
YELLOW CARD! England 7-0 Australia (Parry, 28')
They had been warned and Parry is sent to the bin.
28 min: Australia have the line-out but Talakai’s throw isn’t straight, England opt for the line-out. They come away with it and are on the attack, can they capitalise this time? No they cannot, Rowland’s pass is straight out of play. Australia’s line-out is loose again, Bern gathers and they are on the hunt here.
26 min: Packer takes it quickly and Ward knocks on, after all that build up England have not got points to back it up. Australia’s scrum is good and they are able to kick to clear. Aldcroft rejoins the game.
24 min: England thought they were over but the referee brings it back for a penalty as Australia ping at the maul. The official has had a word with Parry, anymore penalties here and there will be a card. Harrison is back to the corner.
24 min: Aldcroft may not be in the scrum but England continue to dominate. The side have the penalty as McKenzie is offside and Harrison kicks to the corner. Could we see the driving maul? We will and they are on the charge.
22 min: It is short and the referee says she blew her whistle too soon and so we have an England scrum five metres out.
22 min: England win the scrum penalty and decide to run it, potentially running down Aldcroft’s yellow. After a few phases Harrison kicks to the corner with pressure on Australia’s line-out. It is clean but Australia knock on and England are on the attack – they are just metres away. Sarah Bern thinks she is over but the referee is checking this.
20 min: Cramer doesn’t have enough on it and England are able to clear their lines. People will debate whether it was the right decision rather than go for the corner but with these conditions you never know what could happen! McKenzie has a great take in the air but she knocks on the floor, England scrum
18 min: Is anyone else nervous? Knock-out rugby just hits different! This time Australia’s line-out is good, they look like they have knocked on but England are offside first. They point to the sticks with Cramer kicking, they need to make England pay for these errors while they can.
17 min: England fans will breathe a sigh of relief that wasn’t a red, there was some head contact but there were mitigating factors. Australia kick to the corner, they could strike back here. But England disrupt their line-out once more, a real weakness for Australia so far. As England look to attack they are pulled back for obstruction.
YELLOW CARD! England 7-0 Australia (Aldcroft, 16')
It’s a clear out from Zoe Aldcroft, she comes in late with some head contact.
15 min: We are checking for foul play here, time is off. We’re looking at a clear out from an England player.
15 min: There’s another sloppy Australian line-out and Packer collects to put England on the attack once more. Some great defence from Australia though with Hamilton putting in a good hit on Infante to get the breakdown penalty. And you have guessed it – another scrum.
13 min: Harrison gives away with penalty at the breakdown with great work from Parry, they kick to the corner. Talakai’s throw isn’t straight at the line-out though and England have the scrum. England come away with it and kick to clear but they don’t find touch and Parry collects. But Australia knock on shortly after, another scrum to come. I feel there will be a lot of scrums in this match.
10 min: When I say the weather is bad, I live in England and I haven’t seen rain like this is a while! England are in possession again but they are deep in their own half. They kick away and McKenzie does well in tricky conditions to gather the ball.
TRY! England 7-0 Australia (Hunter, 8')
The ball is forward from Packer but we come back for the advantage, England opt for the scrum. Before the set piece Shannon Parry receives some attention but she will remain on the pitch. The scrum is clean from England and they attack again. Hunter directs the ball over – a fairytale start for the record breaker. Scarratt adds the extras.
Updated
6 min: England kick away through Emily Scarratt and Australia knock on shortly after. England scrum just a few metres out but before we get to the set piece Cokayne receives some attention but she is okay to continue. England win the scrum penalty and we go again. Hunter is controlling the ball at the back and they win the advantage. England come forward still.
4 min: It’s a great shove from England who come away with it and are quick to run it wide. Lydia Thompson does well to keep it in play as the team build from deep. England knock on but we come back for an earlier advantage for a high tackle. Zoe Harrison clears and Amy Cokayne’s resulting line-out is clean. The driving maul, deadly as it is, is dealt with well by Australia! England still coming.
2 min: The pitch is a puddle, the water kicking up everywhere. Abby Dow knocks on and we have the first scrum of the morning/evening. Australia come away with it and they look to hit England early doors. There’s a loose pass and England manage to regather. Another scrum, this time it is England’s put in.
Kick-off! England 0-0 Australia
Here we go! Will favourites England seal their spot or can Australia get an upset? All to come …
Sarah Hunter’s class is shown once again as she puts her player Sarah Bern up front to lead the team out on her 50th cap. Hunter is all smiles, what a moment for a legend of the game.
The players are out on the pitch and the anthems will soon be in full flow! Are you ready for this one? The awful weather could play its part but England will remain favourites in this one.
Have a read of Sarah Hunter’s rugby journey here ahead of her 138th cap:
Our man on the ground Rob Kitson has the weather report:
Not saying it's wet in west Auckland but may need a mask and snorkel to get to the main stand... pic.twitter.com/XeZyzj8Mz0
— robert kitson (@robkitson) October 29, 2022
England player Abbie Ward has said there is more to come from the side, saying: “We’re in third gear - you’ve seen glimpses but you’ve seen moments where we weren’t quite accurate enough. The group stages is not where we want to peak.”
Scott Fava, Australia’s assistant coach, says his side are in the better position in the fixture: “Our mindset is the same as it was for the opening game (against New Zealand) – there is no pressure on us, the pressure is on England to perform.”
England head coach Simon Middleton has said about Australia: “They’ve started off really well. They play a very expansive brand of rugby, and had the hosts New Zealand down 17-0 in no time in the opening game [Black Ferns eventually winning 41-17] so we know it’s going to be really tough. They’ve got some really good ball carriers, lots of skill, a good Sevens influence you can see in the expansion in their play, so it’s going to be a great challenge.”
Of course one semi-final line-up has already been decided with two quarter-finals taking place on Saturday. New Zealand will face France after the hosts defeated Wales and the French overcame Italy. That semi will be the later of the two on November 5. The winner of England v Australia will be competing against the victor of the later QF this morning between Canada and the USA.
I am delaying my first cup of coffee until just before kick-off, I need to time it well so there’s no caffeine crash!
Now while we kick-off at 1.30am, the second half will also start at near enough the same time in the United Kingdom as the clocks change at 2am. How has everyone planned their watching out? Did you take a nap beforehand or have you powered through? I attempted the nap but couldn’t fall asleep so I am ploughing through! Let me know via Twitter and email.
The team news is in and Australia have made just two changes from their victory over Wales. Layne Morgan comes in at scrum-half and Pauline Piliae-Rasabale starts at full-back.
Australia starting XV: Pauline Piliae-Rasabale; Bienne Terita, Georgina Friedrichs, Sharni Williams, Lori Cramer; Arabella McKenzie, Layne Morgan; Liz Patu, Adiana Talakai, Bridie O’Gorman, Michaela Leonard, Grace Kemp, Emily Chancellor, Shannon Parry (captain), Grace Hamilton.
Replacements: Tania Naden, Emily Robinson, Eva Karpani, Sera Naiqama, Piper Duck, Iliseva Batibasaga, Cecilia Smith, Mahalia Murphy.
Here is your #Wallaroos side to face England in this weekend’s #RWC21 Quarter Final! 🏉🔥🙌 pic.twitter.com/9wlPpAXnja
— Wallaroos (@WallaroosRugby) October 27, 2022
England, meanwhile, have made 11 changes to their win over South Africa. Only Tatyana Heard, Zoe Harrison, Abby Dow and Marlie Packer keep their spots. As previously mentioned, Sarah Hunter wins her 138th cap and Sarah Bern comes back into the side to win her 50th.
England starting XV: Helena Rowland; Lydia Thompson, Emily Scarratt, Tatyana Heard, Abby Dow; Zoe Harrison, Leanne Infante; Vickii Cornborough, Amy Cokayne, Sarah Bern, Zoe Aldcroft, Abbie Ward, Alex Matthews, Marlie Packer, Sarah Hunter (captain).
Replacements: Lark Davies, Hannah Botterman, Maud Muir, Rosie Galligan, Poppy Cleall, Lucy Packer, Holly Aitchison, Ellie Kildunne.
Preamble
Welcome back to our coverage of the Rugby World Cup with England’s quarter-final against Australia! The Red Roses have so far lived up to their favourites tag, including that tight win over France, and they will once again have to prove their mettle against the Wallaroos.
The two sides have not played on another since 2017 where England were the victors. So far in the tournament the Red Roses have had the better results, continuing their unbeaten run, but Australia have only fallen to one defeat - against New Zealand.
And while this is knock-out rugby with all the thrills and excitement that comes with it, there is another story surrounding this match which will make it a special one. England captain Sarah Hunter will win her 138th cap which will make her the country’s all time leading cap holder, eclipsing Hunter’s former teammate Rocky Clark. Hunter comes back into the side to reach the milestone after not being in the matchday 23 for their final pool match against South Africa.
All the team news has been released and stay tuned for all the updates ahead of kick-off at 1.30am BST.
