England Beat Wales 70-6 in Their Women's World Cup Opener

England began their Women's World Cup with a big 70-6 win over Wales in Perth, in a Group A game. It was Wales' first match ever at a World Cup.

For a few minutes, Wales had reason to dream. England scored first through Amelia Brown after a quick move in the third minute. Then, after several English mistakes, Wales pulled level inside the first ten minutes when Paige Travis went over the line. The score surprised England, who had beaten Wales by 114 points to nothing in their two earlier meetings. The shock seemed to wake them up. England scored seven tries before half-time, leading 40-6 at the break, and 13 in all.

Wing Anna Davies and Connie Boyd, who was playing her first World Cup game, each scored three tries. Izzy Rowe scored two tries and kicked nine goals for 26 points, which equals the record for the most points by an England player in a Women's World Cup match. Other tries came from Georgia Wilson, Hollie-Mae Dodd and Jasmin Strange, who also was making her debut.

One try summed up the day. Wales attacked with a chip kick to the corner, but the ball bounced kindly for Brown behind England's own line. She ran 109 metres to the other end to score, one of the longest tries in the history of women's rugby league. Boyd and Davies then scored three tries in the last five minutes to finish the game.

England's coach, Stu Barrow, said you cannot keep a clean sheet in every game, but he liked the team's response after Wales scored. He said the team is new, with new combinations and timing, and that England played nice football once they settled after ten minutes. He was pleased that the team did 70 to 80% of what he wanted. The team hopes to make a World Cup final for the first time.