ROCKY CLARK
WORLD CUP WINNER
So the wait is over. Five years after England lost the 2017 World Cup final against New Zealand, could this be the year the Red Roses lift the trophy on the Black Ferns' home turf ? What a fairytale ending that would be.
But let's not get carried away just yet…
England's journey began yesterday against a powerful Fijian outfit. Simon Middleton, England's head coach, decided to go with a strong team in their opening encounter. He was forced to go without ferocious defender Marlie Packer, who sustained an ill-timed foot injury in training. This gave Sadia Kabeya, the young openside flanker, the opportunity to put her hand up for selection for the following game against France. Kabeya was named player of the match which surely secures her spot in the squad for the next match on Saturday alongside the returning Packer.
England arguably have their toughest opponents, France, in less than a week, and it was key for Middleton to get his team gelling for Le Crunch in Eden Park.
England opened their scoring account after just four minutes with a try from Claudia MacDonald but it was a shaky opening half as Fiji applied masses of pressure and capitalised on broken defences with a lesson in offloading against the Red Roses.
The Fijians were only 10 points adrift at half-time trailing 24-14, despite having only ever played in seven Test matches with the Fijians scoring twice – half as many tries that the world number one side let in throughout the entire Six Nations campaign. It was a different story after half-time and England's superior fitness and width in play meant that they scored another 10 tries to secure a comfortable 84-19 victory against a very spirited Fijian side.
England's set-piece was the platform of their attack with three tries coming from the infamous driven maul that has been the catalyst for so many tries as well as setting up a number of short plays off it to secure points.
England's scrum has been criticised for its weakness over previous years but this season has seen it become a real weapon for the Red Roses.
Once England got in their flow their attack followed a basic but perfectly formed game plan of punching the forwards up to create quick ball and draw in defenders, then to use dummy runners and pull the ball out the back to get the ball out wide for the England speedsters.
Stalwart Emily Scarratt was a key player within England's attack as she exploited the tiring Fijian defence, with the weight and timings of her passes to get the ball into space. Not only was she a threat on the ball with her illusive running style, she also got the ball wide to the likes of Lydia Thompson scoring two and Claudia MacDonald who got a formidable four tries, less than year after she was told she may never play rugby again due to a neck injury. England's backline will be unlikely to change as they have the right balance of experience, flair and pace.
France will however be closely watching the first half of this game to exploit England's weaknesses. A must for England is to not get too narrow in defence and stay aware of the offload runner. They will also be looking to slow down France's high tempo attack to get defenders in place. I think we will see a similar attacking style from England when they play France, a big reliance on set piece and the use of the forwards heavy carries and dummy runners to give them space out wide.
England's defence was questionable in the first half after gaps appeared and Fiji were able to skip through some tackles to score a couple of tries. I'd have loved to have been a fly on the the wall to listen to Middleton's half-time talk as the Red Roses came out with a relentless defensive effort that shut down any Fijian attack.
A policy of double tackling and line speed was evident from the well drilled Red Roses side who have been professional since 2018. The Red Roses aim to suffocate an oncoming attack by pressurising the speed of decision making by getting off the line quickly as well as brutal physicality. Outside centre Scarratt leads the defensive shape by cutting down options to get the ball wide and when Fiji played the ball short, they were met hard by England's powerhouse forwards who made dominant hits and slowed the ball down in rucks.
I don't fancy Middleton's job of picking next week's team versus the French. Poppy Cleall, a world class player, was on the bench; Packer and Lark Davies were injured, and the likes of Shauna Brown, Laura Keates and Rosie Galligan all missed out on selection this week. I think it's likely Middleton will go for a similar team but with the likes of Packer and Davies to be included. I think after that game we will see him mix up the team to play South Africa.
What's key is that Middleton will need to use all of his squad to ensure players are rotated and recovery is therefore as important as minutes on the World Cup clock.
He will also be looking to give young players exposure at World Cup level for future tournaments.
For the first time in 16 years, I won't be walking out on that World Cup pitch. But as I sit here today, with a different hat on, my message to the team is to savour every moment. There is nothing quite like spending seven weeks with a group of formidable women, who's determination, focus, drive and desire to win is palpable.
For those walking on to the pitch for the first time in their England shirt, singing along to the national anthem in the biggest women's rugby tournament on the planet will be a moment they will never forget. And the history is there to be written…
