Glorious sunshine ushered in a new era for the Women’s Six Nations but anyone not affiliated with England would have felt a cold shiver after a brutal display from the Red Roses in Edinburgh. Marlie Packer scored three tries with six of her teammates registering one apiece as the world No 1 team obliterated Scotland to begin their title defence in some style.
It was a scrappy start, though, as passes failed to meet their intended destination and those that did were grassed. Scotland’s set piece and tenacity at the breakdown caused some early discomfort for England. But the indomitable machine soon spluttered into life and once it did there was only going to be one result.
