Emily Scarratt scored England's only try in Whangarei, New Zealand
(Picture: Getty Images)England held off a France fightback to continue their strong start to the World Cup with a 13-7 win in New Zealand.
Emily Scarratt scored the opening try and added a penalty either side of half-time before France went over through Gaelle Hermet to force a nervy finish.
But tournament favourites England secured a statement win in Whangarei that will likely mean they qualify for the quarter-finals as Pool C winners.
England thrashed Fiji 84-19 in their opening game last week and have now extended their record winning run to 27 Tests stretching back to July 2019.
England head coach Simon Middleton said: "First and foremost, hats off to France. We had them under a lot of pressure in that match... immensely proud of the team.
“There was definitely a bit missing from our finishing. It turned into an absolute arm wrestle.
“We showed great composure at the end, we won the kicking battle for territory and we ran the game down in the last five to ten minutes.”
England captain Sarah Hunter, who became England’s joint most-capped player as she made her 137th international appearance, said: “We know the encounters between us and France, they come down to tight scores.
“Tonight was no different, some very good sides. I hope it was a great showcase for women’s rugby.”
