England ………………..46pts
Tries: Muir 7, Aldcroft 14, Botterman 23, Atkin-Davies 40, Kildunne 42, 61; Dow 45, Galligan 57
Conversions: Aitchison 15, 24, 58
Wales…………………….10pts
Tries: Bevan 53 Conversions: George 5 Penalties: George 54
ENGLAND'S quest for a sixth successive title rolls on after blowing winless Wales away once more, in front of the Red Roses' largest home crowd for a fixture away from Twickenham.
Many criticised England's conservative style of play under Simon Middleton but new head coach John Mitchell has implemented an ambitious, entertaining method, illustrated by the backline flair that was showcased in the eighttry victory as Mitchell continues his mission to turn the Red Roses from a ‘very good', into a ‘phenomenal' outfit.
Wales rued missed chances in the first half with the visitors enjoying just shy of 70 per cent of the territory in the opening period, but their white line fever was punished with breathtaking, ruthless counterattacks from England's flyers.
The best sign of a formidable team is dominating matches when they aren't at their best and England wrapped up the bonus point before half time through tries by Maud Muir, Zoe Aldcroft, Hannah Botterman and Lark Atkin-Davies, with the 24-3 scoreline flattering the Red Roses.
England went through the gears in the second stanza as Ellie Kildunne scored two with further tries by Abby Dow and Rosie Galligan.
Captain Marlie Packer said: “That was incredible! The crowd was unreal, Ashton Gate was rocking and thank you all for your support. There are a few fix ups for us in terms of our handling errors to fix during the fallow week before we face Scotland.
“We knew Wales would have been hurting after the last game and I'm super proud of how the girls welcomed the challenge, putting in such a good performance.”
England endured early scrum problems after centre Tatyana Heard knocked on inside her own 22, with the home side's pack conceding a rare penalty and Gloucester-Hartpury fly-half Lleucu George dispatched the three points to put the visitors ahead.
England roared back with a break by Dow, who raced away down the right and off the recycled phase, Muir burrowed over the line. England's emphatic response continued as the half centurion Aldcroft crashed over, capitalising on the Red Roses' quick ball.
Botter man put her stamp on the contest as the Bristol Bears prop, back playing at Ashton Gate, secured a vital jackal for a turnover on her own line and then at the other end put the finishing touches on England's third try after a clever break by Meg Jones.
Wales had a strong case for the try to be ruled out as replays showed Marlie Packer had clearly played the nine moments before Botterman's turnover but England's controversial score stood.
While Bristol hooker Atkin-Davies scored England's fourth in first half additional time. The England try scoring continued in the second half as the competition's leading try scorer Kildunne grounded for her third try of the tournament.
Beautiful hands from the England backline allowed Jess Breach to join the party as the Red Roses' devastating start to the second half continued.
Wales eventually scored their first try of the tour nament as Keira Bevan sniped her way over the line after a strong carry by substitute Sisilia Tuipulotu.
Galligan touched down with a clever pick and go before the pick of the bunch by Kildunne, who beat four Welsh defenders to somehow find space to touch down in the corner.
Meg Jones added: “I loved playing here, it couldn't have been a better game to be a part of. I love unstructured play and when we had turnover ball it was great to be apart of. We spoke about being direct and dangerous in the build up, and that's what we did.
“Mitch (John Mitchell) has got a calm demeanour but is strict when needed and is doing such a good job with us.”
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham said: “I'm extremely proud of everyone, I thought the effort was unbelievable. We had four entries in the England 22 in the first half and came away with no tries, so that's a clear work on. In the crucial period at the start of the second half England took the scoreboard away from us.
“The girls give so much to the jersey but to get to the next level we have to take our chances.”
