Thank you so much for joining me for this record England v Wales match.
It was a great performance from both sides but the Red Roses were able to execute a 10-try result to stay on top of the table.
To recap any action or re-live the tries, have a read of Luke McLaughlin’s report here:
England have now clocked up 189 points in three games in this Women’s Six Nations which is breath-taking.
Over 30 tries for the Red Roses who continue their dominance in Europe.
It will be interesting to see how they go against France, the other team who have been impressive so far in the 2022 event.
On the Wales team, Kayleigh Powell stood out.
She was an expert under the high ball, only dropping one, and made huge metres from places you wouldn’t think she could get out of.
There were glimpses of what Jasmine Joyce could produce but she wasn’t fed enough ball to really make an impression.
Let’s talk about that return for Jess Breach!
The winger hasn’t played for England since May 2021 after a series of injuries ruled her out of the competitions. But she came back with a bang at Kingsholm with two tries to her name.
She is surely a player who has a spot on the plane heading to New Zealand for the World Cup!
England’s victory over Wales mean they maintain their spot at the top of the table with a perfect 15 points.
France will now know they have to defeat Scotland with a bonus-point win tomorrow in order to keep up with their rivals. If they drop any points at all it could prove the difference come the end of the tournament.
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There’s more Women’s Six Nations action this weekend as Ireland take on Italy and Scotland face off with France.
The two teams who have just gone to battle will be back in action in two weeks. The fallow week for the tournament coincides with the Easter break.
But when they return Wales host France and England will play Ireland.
The best try of the match, for me anyway, was Alex Matthews’ slick finish.
Player of the Match Abbie Ward set Matthews up well but the star still had so much to do to score. She raced to the line and beat four defenders in the process.
Take a look:
What. A. Finish. 🔥🔥@AlexMatthews03 👏
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) April 9, 2022
📺 @BBCTwo #ENGvWAL | @Womens6Nations pic.twitter.com/A4fyGJH5en
There are improvements to be made on both sides and some great learnings for them to take into their next fixtures.
For England, their set-piece needs to be more clinical as well as their kicks at the post.
Wales, meanwhile, need to lower their penalty count and get more attacking ball. If they capitalised on their early dominance over the Red Roses who knows what the score line would have looked like.
What an occasion. Yes England come away with another win, their 21st consecutive victory, but Wales were impressive.
Not only was the rugby incredible but the attendance record was smashed! Women’s rugby is growing so quickly and it is great to see.
Player of the Match Abbie Ward told the BBC: “I think it was a frustrating performance. The first half especially, it was hard for us.
“These games are always a challenge the competition is always getting up and up.
“It’s never nice [to see a teammate suffer], best wishes with Abby at the moment. Hopefully we can catch up with her later.
“It’s incredible to have so many people here. Hopefully we can kick on and do it for the fans.”
Full-time: England 58-5 Wales
England’s Women’s Six Nations title defence continues with another bonus-point win in this campaign.
Wales played so well, their defence and set-pieces standing out. What they are building as a team is special and the scoreboard doesn’t reflect their performance.
But the Red Roses proved too strong and that display brings their try tally to over 30 in the tournament so far.
TRY! England 58-5 Wales (Hunter, 80)
And there’s number 10 for England and captain Hunter breaks to score it
Conversion successful.
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79 min: England manage to disrupt the line-out and they clear their lines to have a line-out themselves.
But this time Wales are the ones who turn it over, Bevan takes it quickly but not cleanly and the Red Roses now have it. It’s so back and forth!
Ward has been named Player of the Match!
77 min: Possession exchanges hands but Wales have it and they will look to close out this match with some more points.
A penalty goes against England and Wales kick the ball for some well-earned territory.
TRY! England 51-5 Wales (Scarratt, 74)
What phenomenal skill from McKenna to keep that in play, she pops it to Scarratt who scores.
Harrison misses again.
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74 min: England were so lucky to come away with that ball in the scrum but the Red Roses have it and Scarratt is away!
The break is so clean she has little support. The ball fizzes out wide but reach can’t get away.
They are inches away now and they earn a penalty ...
72 min: John is back on the pitch for Wales now and the visitors are back to 15 players.
A point England need to take a look at is their penalty and conversion taker. The scoreboard would be a lot higher if Harrison had got the kicks.
Powell drops a high ball, her first of the match and it’s bad luck for the player who has been amazing this game.
TRY! England 46-5 Wales (Brown, 70)
Wales’ defence run out of room and open space sees Brown run it in, a cracking team try sees the Harlequins prop profit.
Harrison’s kick is pushed wide.
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70 min: Well the record is well and truly broken. 14,689 fans are in Kingsholm, an attendance record for a women’s rugby match in England. What an achievement!
England currently in possession and the hunt once more.
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TRY! England 41-5 Wales (Jones, 67)
Jones crashes over after clinical set-pieces come off for them. The line-out and maul functioning so well, she then picks the right time to splinter to go over.
Wales fully deserve that try.
The conversion just pings off the post from Bevan.
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66 min: Wales have a good spell of possession and eventually come away with the penalty. It is in kickable range but they kick to the corner.
The line-out is clean and Wales no try to use the maul to their advantage.
TRY! England 41-0 Wales (Matthews, 63)
I’m speechless. Ward pops the ball to Matthews and she beats four defenders to score. WOW!
Harrison misses the kick.
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63 min: England make more changes as Muir and Powel come on for Cornborough and Davies.
And Wales also take the opportunity to make a sub with Harries off for Lewis.
62 min: Wales respond well to that yellow card as England don’t get their maul over the line. The visitors have a scrum in England’s 22.
Early engagement give the ball to Wales and they clear through Wilkins. But it’s brought back for a free kick for Wales, Wilkins boots it upfield.
YELLOW CARD! England 36-0 Wales (John, 60)
Another infringement at the maul sees John get her marching orders.
59 min: The scrum is reset and then England get the penalty.
Harrison kicks away and get back into their half again. We are starting to see the pinpoint accuracy of the Red Roses.
They have got their driving maul back into this match and then they fizz it out wide. Momentum stalls as Rowland struggles to keep the ball but she does. It’s then kicked through but Wales are offside and England have another opportunity to attack.
Wales make another change Pyrs is off for Hope.
57 min: This scoreline must be tough for Wales because it really doesn’t tell the story of the match.
England have had to fight for everything they have scored with Wales’ set-piece especially being a highlight.
There’s another Wales scrum now.
TRY! England 36-0 Wales (Bern, 54)
Wow, the line-out is taken short and they pop Bern in for a lovely try.
England stick with Harrison who slots a good kick.
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55 min: England are given an advantage and so Harrison pops a kick in to try and find Breach. It’s not collected so we come back for that advantage.
The ref warns Lillicrap about infringements at the line-out.
England kick to corner and are searching for a sixth try in Gloucester.
54 min: Wales are making changes as Jones and Callender comes on for Phillips and Butchers.
England make a change at nine as Hunt is on for Packer.
Powell collects a ball from Scarratt’s boot and sets off. The full-back has been impressive so far. England now in possession though.
TRY! England 29-0 Wales (Breach, 51)
The ball is fizzed out wide and Breach neatly dots down, England are firing now.
Harrison misses another conversion, it’ll be interesting to see if the team switch to Rowland at some point.
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51 min: Lewis sends a kick upfield to clear their lines but England immediately hit back with a superb break from Scarratt.
It’s so difficult for Wales to set up a clear attack with the kick needed to set them free but it gifts the ball to England.
Wales’ defence is again called upon as England knock on the door.
49 min: Wales defence is an iron wall at the moment and the gainline remains. They hold Scarratt up and Wales roar in celebration as an England knock-on thwarts another attack.
The visitors’ scrum has functioned well this afternoon and again they build from deep after a solid set-piece.
They remain in England’s 22 with fierce Red Roses defence on them.
47 min: Another England handling error with a knock-on from the restart. Wales have the scrum and after a reset Wales come away with it.
They go through the hands but Breach manages to intercept it, what a player!
England are now on the charge.
TRY! England 24-0 Wales (Davies, 44')
The driving maul again for England is beautiful and it tumbles over the line with Davies on the receiving end - her second of the match.
Conversion missed by Harrison.
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44 min: England’s first line-out works well and the maul is brought out again, an impressive part of the hosts’ game so far. It continues as it was in the first half but Wales do bring it down.
Harrison puts in a crossfield kick, looking for McKenna. Wales don’t take it cleanly but they eventually get it. We come back for an England advantage and the Red roses kick to corner, they are hunting for the bonus point.
42 min: There’s a change at the break for Wales as Tuipulotu comes off for John.
From the restart Ward concedes a penalty and Wales win the first scrum of the second half. Joyce runs away with it, who probably show have offloaded to Neumann, but Wales are still on the charge.
They kick is away and Kildunne let’s it run out of play. We come back for an England penalty. Harrison kicks to the corner.
We are back underway at Kingsholm Stadium!
Can England hold onto this one? Or will Wales claim another comeback win?
An update on Abby Dow, who went down injured 15 minutes into the fixture, she has been taken to hospital in Gloucester.
With one eye on the World Cup later this year, England fans will be hoping it isn’t a long-time out for the electric and versatile back.
We wish her all the best.
Half-time: England 19-0 Wales
The end of that half ended in another England knock-on!
Well so far England have the upper hand on the scoreboard but this is a very level match. Wales’ defence has been electric and they just need more attacking ball to get in the points.
The difference so far are scores from Davies, Breach and Ward. An exciting 40 minutes to come.
39 min: The England scrum sees the hosts come away with the ball, the ref citing no stability.
But again, England knock-on.
Wales are doing really well to pressure England with so many opportunities smothered by the visitors.
37 min: What is with the handling errors in the last few minutes? This time it’s Wales who knock-on and so there’s an England scrum.
There’s a slight break in play with players taking on water with some medical checks too.
36 min: Packer attempts to take the restart but it smacks her and she knocks it on. Another Wales scrum in a great position.
There’s now a TMO review for foul play, we’re looking at Wales’ Joyce tackle on Packer. It’s a penalty only so England manage to escape another Welsh threat.
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TRY! England 19-0 Wales (Breach, 34)
England’s line-out sticks this time and they start a driving maul.
There maul is always so impressive and they are making massive metres here as they march into the 22. England also win an advantage and Packer releases the ball.
Quick hands sees Breach go over, what a return for the winger!
Harrison conversion.
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33 min: Another good set-piece for Wales as they win another line-out but they are building from England’s 22.
Wilkins dinks a cross field kick to Joyce who sprints away. But the valuable metres made by Joyce are recovered by England’s defence.
An exchange of kicks ends with Wilkins calling the mark.
31 min: Wales win the penalty as England pivot the scrum, the hosts’ set-piece are costing them dearly at the moment.
The visitors are building from deep but England again reverse their fortunes. They take it quickly through P Cleall but the penalty then goes Wales’ way. It’s such a frantic and high speed match! I’m absolutely loving it.
29 min: Another advantage sees the ball go England’s way again after a high tackle. The penalties are clocking up for Wales but their defence has been great.
They are just metres away now England but their line-out fails. This is a huge issue for the hosts, that looked to be a sure score with a driving maul.
But Wales come away with it for a scrum, there are some tired bodies out there!
27 min: A pass goes loose from England and Joyce hacks it upfield! Powell also plays a part but it goes out from the Wales full-back.
England’s line-out seems to have shaken it’s cobwebs with another successful throw. the Red Roses are going through the phases on halfway but another scrum ensues as Wales knock it on.
England’s scrum is extremely strong, making metres and earning the advantage. Hunter’s control at the back of that was sublime.
25 min: More frustration for Wales and England miss their touch from the penalty but Neumann knocks it on!
The England scrum ends in a penalty for the hosts as Wales don’t drive straight. Harrison secures more metres for England as she kicks upfield.
The line-out is successful and another attack is launched.
23 min: This must be frustrating for Wales as they have been playing so well. The only thing they haven’t got in their game so far is points.
The visitors are now building just outside their 22. Can they get their first points on the board? No as Cornborough smothers the ball in the ruck.
TRY! England 12-0 Wales (Ward, 20)
The game comes back for an earlier advantage for England, they kick to the corner.
The line-out is clean and Bern is so close to scoring as they go around the back of the maul. They run through the phases and Ward is over!
Harrison conversion is successful!
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19 min: Wales kick upfield and clear to halfway, the line-out is scruffy but they come away with it.
Patient attack doesn’t pay off for the visitors though as Ward turns the ball over. It’s a credit to Wales’ defence that it doesn’t seem inevitable every time England have the ball they will score.
The hosts are knocking on the door and look sure to score but McKenna knocks on. SO close!
17 min: We’re back underway and Wilkins gets the game rolling once more.
A lovely kick away from Harrison sees Joyce touch the ball a it bounces out for an England line-out. They take it quickly and successfully to launch an attack but Powell, who has been clinical, eventually comes away with it.
Lewis clears Wales’ lines but England come back strong. However, Scarratt has a double movement on the floor. Such a spicy match!
15 min: There’s now a break in play as all the medics have gone with Dow and so they need a doctor to be back on the sidelines for the match to get back underway.
TRY! England 5-0 Wales (Davies, 14)
The line-out is good and Davies collects the ball at the back of the maul with the hooker dotting down.
Harrison misses the conversion.
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13 min: We are back underway and we restart with an England line-out.
13 min: Dow is coming off, hopefully she is okay and the injury isn’t too bad.
The break in play remains as the full-back is receiving extensive medical treatment. Such sad scenes and we wish her all the best.
Kildunne is on for England now for when the match restarts.
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13 min: The English line-out almost fails again with Butchers disrupting proceedings but the Red Roses wrestle it back.
Dow is almost through but in a heartbreaking moment screams are heard. That looks and sounds like an awful injury. Hopefully she is okay. A break in play here.
If Dow needs to come off and I’m thinking she will, Ellie Kildunne is on the bench.
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13 min: This match is exactly what the Women’s Six Nations needs, it just shows what happens when you invest in a team. What a transformation for Wales.
They remain in possession and only a try is missing from their bright start. Bern almost gets the turnover but Butchers does enough to keep a hold.
But their wait for points continues as Packer wins a penalty at the breakdown.
11 min: Harrison kicks upfield and Powell catches and just keeps running!
Harrison puts in a great covering tackle to stifle the attack but Wales are still on the hunt. What a start from the visitors!
But the excitement is lulled as England turn it over but not for long as Wales collect and win another penalty.
This is such a thrilling match!
9 min: Wales’ line-out works well and they win another penalty at the breakdown. The referee gives England a warning with the penalty count clocking up.
With Wales having all the momentum it was crucial England responded and Ward did enough to pressure the line-out to get the penalty.
This is England’s first put in at the scrum and after a reset the hosts come away with it. They are setting off on a lightning attack.
6 min: England bag an advantage as Harries fails to release and the hosts run it quickly. But Wales’ pressure pays off as England knock it on.
The Red Roses look slightly shaken and it will be interesting to see how they respond.
The visitors have the scrum and they win the penalty at the set-piece again! England’s scrum and line-out both faltering at the moment, Wales have the upper hand.
4 min: A monstrous driving maul sees England keep making valuable metres towards the line and it ends in a penalty for England. They put their statement of intent out their as Harrison kicks to the corner.
But the line-out fails again, an issue for England so far, and Wales have the first scrum of the match.
The scrum goes Wales’ way and they set off quickly. The visitors are so strong in these opening minutes, we have quite the match on our hands.
2 min: England get the better start with Bern making a good few metres over the gainline.
They seem to have fixed up their issues at the breakdown too. Early doors but they are committing players to the ruck.
Powell does well to collect the ball but the pressure gives England a great position. However, they don’t capitalise as their line-out falters. The Red Roses quickly get the ball back though and they launch another attack.
Kick-off! England 0-0 Wales
We are underway!
A reminder if Wales defeat England today they will lift the triple crown.
The teams are out and the anthems are about to get underway!
The stadium is absolutely rocking, with the BBC reporting around 13,500 fans watching on, what a stage for this rivalry to re-ignite.
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So where will the match be won and lost? There are two key areas in this one: set-pieces and speed.
Both teams have produced solid scrums and line-outs in the tournament and it will be a real test to see if they can maintain the form. Set-piece penalties could be the difference if the scoreline is close.
If the set-pieces are clean then speed will be key. England have Jess Breach and Abby Dow in the back three who are electric in open space. But the hosts aren’t the only ones with stars waiting in the wings with Jasmine Joyce and Lisa Neumann ready to pounce on opportunity.
There’s just under 15 minutes now until we see how this one will pan out.
England head coach Simon Middleton has praised Wales ahead of the fixture, which kicks off in less than half an hour.
Middleton spoke about the team’s new contracts. The Wales Rugby Union handed out 12 professional contracts and over 10 retainer deals to players in January. The result has seen them win both of their games in the tournament so far, Wales hadn’t won a match in the Women’s Six Nations since 2019 before the 2022 event began.
“Wales’ new contracts have galvanised and lifted their group and that’s shown in the nature of their performances and two wins out of two to date,” Middleton said. “They have looked well organised and have finished strong in both games.
“That’s testimony to the work Ioan (Cunningham) and his staff have put in and, of course, the attitude of the players. It’s great to see and makes for a top-class game and a stadium that will be bouncing.”
How could the outcome of today’s fixture affect the table?
So far England sit at the top, due to points difference, with France and Wales equalling the defending champions on points.
If Wales can beat their rivals they will top the table ahead of France’s clash against Scotland tomorrow. Then if the French win away from home they would top the table on points difference.
But, the more likely of options, England will keep hold of their top spot and France will be hoping Wales can halt the Red Roses’ amount of tries. So far England have scored a whopping 131 points from two games which amounts to over 20 tries.
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Wales travel to Gloucester with a lot of confidence following their wins and they’ve made it clear they aren’t daunted about playing England.
The Red Roses are on a 20-match winning streak but Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham says the team are excited at the prospect of ending it.
He said: “We can’t wait. We want to see where we’re at. We want to compete against the best in the world, so this is a great opportunity for us.
“The players train and play with and against the England players week-in, week-out so while we respect the side, there is familiarity, not fear. It will be fantastic to play in front of a huge crowd which will hopefully include some Welsh voices.”
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There won’t only be some cracking rugby on display at Kingsholm Stadium today, there could also be an attendance record broken.
The record for a women’s rugby attendance in England was set at the Red Roses’ 2020 fixture against Wales where 10,974 fans turned out. But reports suggest Gloucester have sold over 11,000 tickets with more available on the gate.
We will have to wait for confirmation on that but the game looks set to break another record. Wales, Scotland and Ireland have also set attendance records in their matches in this year’s Women’s Six Nations.
What a ground-breaking event the 2022 tournament has been so far!
Please do get in touch with me via Twitter or email if there’s anything you want to chat about regarding the match, the tournament more generally or anything really!
It is a glorious Saturday and we are being treated to some lovely weather. Apart from keeping up to date with the rugby, what are you up to?
It’s the Red Roses’ first home game of the tournament and they have made seven changes to their starting XV from their win over Italy last week.
Abby Dow starts at full-back with an exciting return for Jess Breach, who hasn’t played for England since May 2021 due to injury, on the wing. Emily Scarratt comes back in at outside centre and Lucy Packer makes her first start at scrum-half.
In the forwards, Sarah Bern comes into the front row, Poppy Cleall moves to the second row as captain Sarah Hunter returns at No 8 and Marlie Packer is back in the squad at flanker.
England: Abby Dow; Jess Breach, Emily Scarratt, Helena Rowland, Sarah McKenna; Zoe Harrison, Lucy Packer; Vickii Cornborough, Lark Davies, Sarah Bern, Poppy Cleall, Abbie Ward, Alex Matthews, Marlie Packer, Sarah Hunter (captain).
Replacements: Connie Powell, Maud Muir, Shaunagh Brown, Rosie Galligan, Vicky Fleetwood, Natasha Hunt, Amber Reed, Ellie Kildunne.
Wales, meanwhile, have made five changes to their starting line-up from their victory over Scotland.
There’s an entirely new half-back partnership with Robyn Wilkins and Ffion Lewis starting at fly-half and scrum-half respectively.
Donna Rose starts at prop, Sisilia Tuipulotu wins her first start for Wales at lock and Sioned Harries comes in at No 8 with captain Siwan Lillicrap shifting to flanker.
Wales: Kayleigh Powell; Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones, Kerin Lake, Jasmine Joyce; Robyn Wilkins, Ffion Lewis; Gwenllian Pyrs, Carys Phillips, Donna Rose, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Gwen Crabb, Siwan Lillicrap (captain), Alisha Butchers, Sioned Harries.
Replacements: Kelsey Jones, Cara Hope, Cerys Hale, Alex Callender, Bethan Lewis, Keira Bevan, Elinor Snowsill, Natalia John.
Good afternoon.
The third round of the Women’s Six Nations will kick-off with England v Wales and it sees both teams attempting to extend their winning runs in the tournament. Neither side have lost so far but it will be a tall order for the visitors to bag a win.
They have never defeated England in the tournament with nine of the 10 meetings in the Women’s Six Nations seeing the Red Roses put 30+ points over Wales.
But the game should be a lot closer than previous years. Wales’ form has improved since the Wales Rugby Union introduced professional and semi-professional contracts in January. So while we are expecting England to take the win today, it won’t be as simple as previous results suggest.
The team news is out so stay tuned for those updates. Kick-off at Kingsholm Stadium at 4.45pm.
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