Women's Rugby World Cup

Winger Claudia MacDonald scored four tries at Eden Park as the tournament favourites extended their winning streak to 26 matches.

This set the tone for a second half that was 39 minutes of one-way traffic. Zoe Aldcroft, Connie Powell and Leanne Infante also crossed as Fiji grasped for both the England players and some defensive dignity. “We were a bit more composed in the second half, managed to go back to being England and turned the game around.” Two tries in the first half were reward for their efforts. Full-back Roela Radiniyavuni’s lateral drift across the defence was punctuated by a step and go that put her in open space before finding Alowesi Nakoci on the right that allowed the winger a free run to the line. The match was a long time coming for both teams with the tournament starting a year late due to coronavirus; plus this being the first meeting between the two sides in the 16 years they have co-existed at international level.

England 84-19 Fiji: Ten tries after the restart ensured the perfect opening in Aukland for the Red Roses.

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England head coach Simon Middleton said it was natural for his side to be awed by the occasion of playing in the women's Rugby World Cup, and praised his ...

“Fiji certainly came to the party in the first half and made it really difficult for us, which we expected,” Middleton told reporters after the win. We looked really nervous and that’s understandable because this is the biggest stage and what a place to play. So really pleased with how we got composed and executed the game plan.”

Fiji played a high-tempo game and only trailed by 10 points at half-time. But the Red Roses' professionalism shone as they scored 10 tries ...

If you had to pick a winner among the 14 tries, the 10th would be up there. But it is hard to find much fault in a team that scored a try every four minutes in the second half, with Leanne Infante and Connie Powell also adding their names to the scoresheet before the 80 minutes were up. ['They rattled us' - reaction to England's win](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/rugby-union/57276645) [Why England are favourites to win World Cup](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/63170766) [World Cup schedule and BBC coverage](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/63170905) Abby Dow, who completed her unlikely return from a broken leg in six months to get to New Zealand, scored to the delight of her team-mates and coaches. A loose ball led to a try for Lydia Thompson and the wing then finished off a well-worked team score before MacDonald claimed a second. Fiji continued to show individual brilliance as Sesenieli Donu faked a pass and sliced through four England defenders for a second try before the break. The two main talking points before the opening day had been that it is the biggest women's World Cup ever and that England are favourites to win. England may not be able to rely so strongly on that tactic against stronger opponents like France and New Zealand and retired World Cup winner Katy Daley-Mclean questioned during the week whether the Red Roses have a plan B. Fiji brought the same amount of intensity to the first half of their World Cup debut as they did emotion to the national anthem. England have never scored more tries or points in a World Cup match and extend their record winning run to 26 Tests. Auckland's Eden Park was sold out for the opening day, with an attendance of 34,235 surpassing the record for a women's World Cup match of 20,000 set in 2014. Favourites England opened their World Cup with a dominant second-half showing to claim a record 14-try win against debutants Fiji.

England underlined their status as Women's Rugby World Cup favourites by thrashing tournament debutants Fiji 84-19 in their opening game.

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England underlined their status as Women's Rugby World Cup favourites by thrashing tournament debutants Fiji 84-19 in their opening game.

Cokayne went over for a second time less than two minutes after the resumption, winger Thompson crossed twice (50 and 53) and MacDonald claimed three more tries (56, 70 and 76). England started brightly and after hooker Cokayne had crossed in the eighth minute, lock Ward (18) and winger MacDonald (27) had them in the clear before Fiji responded with a try of their own from Alowesi Nakoci (31). Claudia MacDonald scored four tries and Amy Cokayne and Lydia Thompson two apiece, with Abbie Ward, Helena Rowland, Zoe Aldcroft, Abby Dow, Leanne Infante and Connie Powell also crossing in the Pool C opener.

Tournament favourites England crushed Fiji 84-19 at Eden Park in Auckland after fellow European powerhouses France outclassed South Africa 40-5. Then a world- ...

“Australia put us under the pump right from the start. France captain Celine Ferer said her side may have been daunted by the occasion. Thompson admitted it had been a sluggish first half by England’s high standards. “We’re in a mythical stadium, maybe a little bit of pressure to be in a magnificent stadium like this and it’s the first match,” she said. In the opening game of the tournament, France started and finished strongly in a victory based around the class of their halves pairing. England and France romped to big wins while hosts New Zealand survived a mighty scare on Saturday in front of a record crowd on the opening day of the women’s Rugby World Cup.

Winger Claudia MacDonald scored four tries as favourites England opened their Women's Rugby World Cup campaign with an 84-19 rout of Fiji at Auckland's Eden ...

We looked really nervous and that's understandable because this is the biggest stage and what a place to play. "Fiji really rattled us in the first half, they were very physical. "Fiji certainly came to the party in the first half and made it really difficult for us, which we expected," Middleton said.