After cruising through their first two pool stage outings, England made no mistake as they looked to complete a clean sweep at the Rugby World Cup. They beat Australia 47-7 to top Pool A, but it was not always plain sailing. Adiana Talakai opened the scoring for the Wallaroos after just six minutes, prompting some nervous glances between members of the England coaching staff.
The Red Roses were slow to start, with a number of uncharacteristic errors sneaking into their game in the first half, but they overcame those shakes to lead at the break, thanks to tries from Jess Breach, Abbie Ward, and Sadia Kabeya. After the break the errors persisted, but England soon put them to bed as they ran away with the result to open a 40-point margin.
That was good news for Australia, who would have been eliminated if they lost by a margin of more than 76 points, but they did enough to progress to the quarter final as runners-up in Pool A. They will face Canada in the next round. England, however, set up a rivalry clash with Scotland. Catch up with all the action as it happened below with our dedicated match blog!
England vs Australia latest news
- TRY! England make it seven
- TRY! Clifford adds clever try
- TRY! Clifford adds another as Moleka booked
- TRY! England open second half with another try
- TRY! Kabeya extends England's lead
- TRY! Ward puts England ahead
- TRY! Breach marks 50th cap with a score
- TRY! Australia draw first blood
- Kick off: 5pm, AmEx Community Stadium
FULL TIME: England 47-7 Australia
18:59 , Arthur FerridgeAustralia kick it out, and both teams will progress to the quarter finals. England top Pool A with a bonus point win!
England 47-7 Australia
18:56 , Arthur Ferridge78mins: Two quickfire steals here, and England are again in the market for an eighth try of the day.
England 47-7 Australia
18:54 , Arthur Ferridge77mins: England are penalised for failing to release, and that does it for the latest Red Roses attack.
England 47-7 Australia
18:53 , Arthur Ferridge76mins: England, still with 14 players, are pushing for another try. One more for good measure can’t hurt.
England 47-7 Australia
18:47 , Arthur Ferridge71mins: Bern was totally upright for that tackle, and made head contact. She is booked and sent for a bunker review. That will leave England one short for the remainder of the match.
England 47-7 Australia
18:46 , Arthur Ferridge71mins: England are penalised for a high tackle, and the TMO is having a gander. Could we see a booking?
England 47-7 Australia
18:44 , Arthur Ferridge69mins: Match attendance confirmed at 30,442. Not quite a sellout, but not far off at all.
England 47-7 Australia
18:43 , Arthur Ferridge68mins: Some attacking joy for the Wallaroos, but England hold firm. A heroic tackle from Rowland sends Halse into touch.
TRY! England 47-7 Australia
18:40 , Arthur Ferridge66mins: The ball gets to Abby Dow on the right flank but she is hacked down a metre out. She has plenty of support, though, and the ball is flipped to Burn, who crashes in to make it seven tries for England.
England 40-7 Australia
18:36 , Arthur Ferridge62mins: Moleka’s yellow card will not be upgraded to a red, it has been confirmed.
England 40-7 Australia
18:35 , Arthur Ferridge60mins: This is getting a tad nervy for Australia, but England would need to score 43 more points to knock them out of the World Cup.
TRY! England 40-7 Australia
18:33 , Arthur Ferridge59mins: Fantastic rugby! Clifford drops a shoulder and looks to have been held up on the try line, but transfers the ball from one hand to the other and grounds it.
England 33-7 Australia
18:32 , Arthur Ferridge58mins: A titanic scrum from England, and the Red Rose have possession on the 5m line!
England 33-7 Australia
18:31 , Arthur Ferridge58mins: England’s latest try-line push ends in a scrum penalty. The Red Roses were cruising in the maul, but hit a yellow roadblock.
England 33-7 Australia
18:30 , Arthur Ferridge57mins: Another HIA for England. Talling, this time.
England 33-7 Australia
18:28 , Arthur Ferridge56mins: The referee is growing increasingly frustrated with the state of the scrum here as another collapses.
TRY! England 33-7 Australia
18:25 , Arthur Ferridge53mins: England bear down on the Australia try-line again, but this time it only takes them a couple of phases to get this one over the line. Clifford was the scorer.
England 26-7 Australia
18:24 , Arthur FerridgeWell, the review ends in a booking for Moleka! It is a bunker review, though, so she will be dismissed for ten minutes, and it could be upgraded to a red card. Head-to-head contact is the charge.
Also, no try for England. We restart with a 5m penalty for the Red Roses, which is kicked straight out.
England 26-7 Australia
18:22 , Arthur FerridgeA lengthy review here. Who ever said TMO was better than VAR?
England 26-7 Australia
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge53mins: Muir looks to have scored, but the referee calls time and sends it to the TMO.
England 26-7 Australia
18:20 , Arthur Ferridge52mins: Where did that come from? Abby Dow gets on the ball in the backfield, runs straight at the try line, and gets through four or five tackles! England win a penalty and boot it out at the corner.
England 26-7 Australia
18:18 , Arthur Ferridge51mins: The referee is on the receiving end of a dropped shoulder as she gets a little too close to the breakdown.
England 26-7 Australia
18:17 , Arthur Ferridge49mins: England are really starting to dominate the scrum here. The Wallaroos don’t even get the opportunity to put the ball in before the referee blows it up at the latest time of asking.
England 26-7 Australia
18:14 , Arthur Ferridge46mins: Kildunne is withdrawn for a head injury assessment.
England 26-7 Australia
18:13 , Arthur Ferridge46mins: Worrying signs for England as Kildunne is down injured. She hasn’t been at her sparkling best today but is a key player nonetheless, and looks to have hit her head quite hard in contact here.
TRY! England 26-7 Australia
18:10 , Arthur Ferridge43mins: What a sequence! The Wallaroos kick out and England respond with a tidy 50-22. Kildunne takes the lineout quickly, but doesn’t quite have the requisite support to make it work and they lose the ball again.
A botched backpass, though, sees Australia drop the ball again, and Hunt dives on it before offloading to Kabeya, who finishes.
England 19-7 Australia
18:07 , Arthur Ferridge41mins: England commit the cardinal sin of rugby and allow the kick-off to bounce. Australia recover the ball and kick to the corner, but England nick the lineout and look to play out.
2ND HALF: England 19-7 Australia
18:05 , Arthur FerridgeAfter a stadium-wide sing-along during the break, the rugby is back underway in Brighton.
HT: England 19-7 Australia
17:52 , Arthur FerridgeAnd that takes us to half-time! England finally seem to have found their groove after looking markedly off-colour from the first whistle.
TRY! England 19-7 Australia
17:49 , Arthur Ferridge38mins: Apologies for the interruption, we are now back to your regularly scheduled English dominance. The lineout becomes a maul, which is driven over in a matter of seconds for Kabeya to finish. Conversion is good.
England 12-7 Australia
17:48 , Arthur Ferridge38mins: England are stepping on the gas now. They win a free-kick from a dominant scrum, take it quickly, and win a penalty. That one is kicked to the corner.
England 12-7 Australia
17:45 , Arthur Ferridge35mins: Yet more incisive kicking from Australia has them back inside the 22m. Kildunne is struggling to cover so much ground at the back. They are let off, though, by a fresh not-releasing penalty against the Wallaroos.
England 12-7 Australia
17:43 , Arthur Ferridge34mins: Kavoa picks up what looks to be an ankle injury and rides off the pitch on a cart. Pohiva replaces her, and Moleka restarts.
TRY! England 12-7 Australia
17:40 , Arthur Ferridge32mins: England get it done! Abby Ward is the one to deliver the killer blow after who knows how many phases. Australia appeal for a knock-on to no avail. Conversion is good.
England 5-7 Australia
17:39 , Arthur Ferridge32mins: England are coming forward now, with penalty advantage at their backs for both a high tackle and an intentional knock. They are hitting the beach, here, looking to claim the lead for the first time today.
England 5-7 Australia
17:37 , Arthur Ferridge29mins: A loose pass from the Wallaroos hits the deck, and Cokayne dives on it to alleviate the pressure on the England back line, at least for now.
England 5-7 Australia
17:35 , Arthur Ferridge28mins: A much better kick from Halse this time, who sends her latest territorial kick out just beyond the 22m. Australia launch another assault on the England try-line.
England 5-7 Australia
17:34 , Arthur Ferridge26mins: Halse falls foul of a 50-22 technicality. She boots one long to touch, but ends up handing England a lineout in the Australia half. No matter, though, as England produce a forward pass to call an end to their possession.
Another blunder for the Red Roses, another let-off for Australia. John Mitchell will surely have stern words for his squad at half-time.
England 5-7 Australia
17:33 , Arthur Ferridge25mins: England have been really sloppy here. Another knock-on ends their latest spell in possession immediately after the restart.
England 5-7 Australia
17:32 , Arthur Ferridge25mins: Botterman is replaced by Clifford, and looks emotional as she hobbles off. That is a huge loss for the Red Roses.
England 5-7 Australia
17:30 , Arthur Ferridge25mins: Hannah Botterman is down injured, now, and looks to be in considerable discomfort as she is treated.
England 5-7 Australia
17:28 , Arthur Ferridge23mins: England kick to touch, but Australia win the line-out! Valiant defence from the Wallaroos.
NO TRY! England 5-7 Australia
17:27 , Arthur Ferridge22mins: Hold your horses, folks. TMO rules out the try as Cokayne is deemed to have knocked the ball on. She dropped it as she looked to ground it. We resume with a 5m penalty for England, though.
TRY! England 12-7 Australia
17:26 , Arthur Ferridge21mins: England take the lead through Cokayne! It is textbook forwards ball from the penalty, and Australia cannot respond as Cockayne sneaks over the line from behind the maul.
England 5-7 Australia
17:25 , Arthur Ferridge21mins: Huge recovery from England as Australia are penalised for diving in at the ruck. Really impressive response from the Red Roses.
England 5-7 Australia
17:24 , Arthur Ferridge19mins: Australia grubber through and Hunt is under considerable pressure as she looks to clear her lines. She does well to flip the ball to Kildunne in the England in-goal, and the Harlequins star drills it to safety,
England 5-7 Australia
17:22 , Arthur Ferridge18mins: Talakai is fit to continue, and we resume with an Australia scrum on the 22m line.
England 5-7 Australia
17:20 , Arthur Ferridge18mins: Play is paused for an injury to Talakai.
HELD UP! England 5-7 Australia
17:19 , Arthur Ferridge16mins: Unlucky for Australia! They hit out a run of seven phases as England dig in on the tryline. Moleka goes over in an attempt to score but is held up. England drop out, and the Wallaroos come again.
England 5-7 Australia
17:18 , Arthur Ferridge15mins: With the safety net of a penalty advantage, Australia try their luck with some attacking kicking, but the chip comes to nothing. It is pulled back for the earlier offside offence, though, and they will mount another attack.
Worth noting that the Australia try all but confirms their progression, as England will now have to score 83 points to eliminate them on points difference.
England 5-7 Australia
17:15 , Arthur Ferridge12mins: England are looking to build on their momentum here, but another handling error almost allows the Wallaroos through for what would have been a certain try. Kildunne recovers the loose ball, though, and it is an Australia scrum.
TRY! England 5-7 Australia
17:11 , Arthur Ferridge9mins: England answer back immediately, and what a moment for Jess Breach as she makes her 50th England appearance. It is quick through the hands from the Red Roses, and Breach does well to get round the corner and dot it down. Conversion, no good.
TRY! England 0-7 Australia
17:08 , Arthur Ferridge6mins: Talakai opens the scoring for Australia! Textbook stuff for the Wallaroos, who kick to the corner and drive over the line from the resultant line-out. Samantha Wood takes her time and nails the extras.
England 0-0 Australia
17:07 , Arthur Ferridge5mins: Australia win a penalty at the scrum - England can’t quite hold it up. Slow start for the hosts.
England 0-0 Australia
17:05 , Arthur Ferridge3mins: Nightmare! Australia fumble the line out. England look to counter, but Kildunne knocks it on to hand the ball back to the visitors.
England 0-0 Australia
17:04 , Arthur Ferridge3mins: Moleka chips through to Kildunne, who can’t quite keep the ball in play at the 5m line. Australia take a red-zone line-out.
England 0-0 Australia
17:03 , Arthur Ferridge1mins: England go deep from kick-off, and Australia return to touch. They immediately turn possession back over from the England line-out, though, before kicking back to Kildunne, who returns the favour.
KICK-OFF! England 0-0 Australia
17:01 , Arthur FerridgeAnd we’re off!
England, dressed in a black-and-blue away strip, get us underway.
Here come the players...
16:55 , Arthur FerridgeThe squads are out at the AmEx Community Stadium.
Kick-off comes next!
John Mitchell previews the tie...
16:52 , Arthur FerridgeWe have more words from John Mitchell now, and he said he is not scared of Australia.
“We are hunting them,” he said.
“We will be ruthless. It is a different context for Australia, they have to play, they have no choice. It’ll be interesting to see how they approach it.”
Australia, of course, need at least one point to confirm their progression.
Nearly time for kick-off
16:50 , Arthur FerridgeJust ten minutes to go now until England kick off their final World Cup pool stage match!
Reminder of the squads
16:45 , Arthur FerridgeWith kick-off now just 15 minutes away, here’s a reminder of how both sides will shape up from the start.
England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Galligan, Ward, Talling, Kabeya, Matthews
Australia: Halse, Stewart, Pomare, Friedrichs, Miller, Moleka, Wood, Palu, Marsters, Duck, Leonard, Learney, Karpani, Talakai, Kavoa
Who do England play in the semi-finals?
16:40 , Arthur FerridgeEngland may already know their quarter-final opponents.
Barring something unforeseen, they are expected to finish top of Pool A.
If they do so, they will face Scotland in the next round of the competition.
They lost to Canada earlier in the day to finish second in Pool B.
Helena Rowland eyes personal accolades
16:30 , Arthur FerridgeHelena Rowland could end today as the top point scorer of the Rugby World Cup.
Ahead of the match, she sits fifth, with 27 points, but she could move into the top spot with just one try. Canada’s Sophie de Goede leads the way with 31 points.
Jess Breach could also lay claim to the top spot. She is just behind Rowland with 25 points to her name.
Friedrichs relishing Jones battle
16:20 , Arthur FerridgeAustralia’s Georgina Friedrichs is looking forward to playing against England stalwart Meg Jones today.
She said: "She’s a world-class player, so I’m expecting her to put her footwork on and she’s got really good ball skills coming from a sevens background. We’ve done our research, hopefully we can contain her."
Her teammate Piper Duck added: "I’m really proud of the campaign we’ve had. Everyone says it, pressure is a privilege, you play rugby to compete. We train to compete at the highest level and to be given the opportunity to come against England, the world’s best right now. To create that upset and be that underdog, I’m really excited for it.
"We’re going attacking into this game like any other game that we would in understanding that we have a job to do that we’re here to execute well. So it’s funny that people keep saying, oh you need this result, you need that. But I don’t know, if you play good rugby and you’re there to win, the result will take care of itself."
Who are the fans here to see today?
16:10 , Arthur FerridgeJess Breach appears to be the fan favourite today.
She is, of course, the woman of the hour, given she will make her 50th England appearance this afternoon.
And, being a native of Chichester, she is local-ish to Brighton, where today’s match will be staged, which can only help to raise her profile!
England already in quarter-final prep
16:00 , Arthur FerridgeEngland are already through to the knock-out stages, but having named a strong side, they are hoping to click into a higher gear ahead of the knockout stages.
Defence coach Sarah Hunter said: "Australia are vying for top spot as well, so we know they’re going to come to play.
“It’s a really good test as we go through to the knockouts; we know we’ve got that quarter-final spot, but we use each game in terms of preparing ourselves as we go.
“We’ve got some things to fix and we’ve got an Australian team that is needing points to ensure that they have a space in that quarter-final. It’s what this tournament is all about, isn't it?"
England vs Australia head to head
15:50 , Arthur FerridgeEngland have only played Australia twice, winning in 2022 and 2023.
They defeated the Wallaroos at the World Cup back in 2022, and at WXV1 two years ago.
England wins: 2
Australia wins: 0
Draws: 0
More from John Mitchell
15:40 , Arthur FerridgePreviewing today’s tie, England boss John Mitchell reaffirmed his high standards for the time.
“We want to build on our opening matches of the tournament and finish the pool stage with a good performance against Australia.
“Brighton has been a great host for us this week. It’s a new venue for the Red Roses, one that has a history of World Cup magic. We’re excited to see thousands of our supporters come down to the south coast and get behind the girls.”
Elsewhere in Pool A
15:30 , Arthur FerridgeThe penultimate match in Pool A is done and dusted, and it is another harsh defeat for Samoa.
The United States come out on top, 60-0.
This, of course, means it’s permutations time! Get your calculators out, folks.
That result leaves the Eagles third in the pool, on the same points as Australia but on a dramatically worse points difference.
The US sit at -2, Australia at +73.
Therefore, should England beat Australia by a margin of 76 points or more, the United States would progress to the quarter-final stage.
On Jess Breach
15:20 , Arthur FerridgeJess Breach starts for the Red Roses today, and will earn her 50th England cap in the process.
Her hat-trick against Samoa last week also took her beyond 50 tries for her country.
On Breach’s achievement, Head Coach John Mitchell said: “To reach 50 caps for your country is testament to the hard work and dedication put in over a number of years, not only by the individual but by those who support them daily.
“Jess should be incredibly proud of her milestone and we’re looking forward to her taking to the field on Saturday.”
Standard Sport prediction
15:10 , Arthur FerridgeIt won’t be as easy as the last two games, but the Red Roses will surely fancy their chances here.
They will have been filled with confidence seeing the US hold the Aussies to a draw in York, and they will be buoyed by the return of their stars for this one.
England to win by forty points.
Australia XV
15:00 , Arthur FerridgeAnd here are your Wallabies this afternoon.
Australia XV: Halse, Stewart, Pomare, Friedrichs, Miller, Moleka, Wood, Palu, Marsters, Duck, Leonard, Learney, Karpani, Talakai, Kavoa
Replacements: Naden, Pohiva, O’Gorman, Codey, Chancellor, Tuinakauvadra, Hinds, Smith
England XV
14:50 , Arthur FerridgeHere’s how John Mitchell’s Red Roses line up this afternoon.
England XV: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Galligan, Ward, Talling, Kabeya, Matthews
Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Clifford, Bern, Ives Campion, Feaunati, L Packer, Aitchison, Rowland
How to watch England vs Australia
14:40 , Arthur FerridgeTV channel: Viewers in the UK can watch this game for free on BBC Two. Coverage from the Amex Stadium will begin at 4.35pm ahead of a 5pm kick off.
Live stream: Those with a valid TV licence will be able to stream the game on BBC iPlayer or the BBC Sport website.
Live blog: Alternatively, you can follow all the action on Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert insight and analysis from Arthur Ferridge.
Good afternoon
14:29 , Arthur FerridgeHello, and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of England vs Australia at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
England have stomped both the USA and Samoa in their opening fixtures, but face their toughest test of the tournament so far as they host the Wallabies.
Follow along right here for minute-by-minute updates from kick-off, which comes at 5pm.
