The Red Roses extended their perfect start to the Rugby World Cup as they thrashed Samoa 92-3 in Northampton. John Mitchell’s England side opened the tournament in emphatic fashion at the Stadium of Light last week, trouncing the United States 69-7, and top Pool A ahead of Australia’s game against the United States. Jess Breach notched a hat-trick while Megan Jones scored a brace as the beaten finalists from three years ago tallied 13 tries at Franklin’s Gardens.
Sarah Bern and Maddie Feaunati helped themselves to scores in a one-sided first half, and Lark Atkin-Davies and Lucy Packer helped themselves to points before the interval. Kelsey Clifford, Mackenzie Carson, Helena Rowland, Marlie Packer, and Claudia MacDonald added the rest in the second period, while Samoa got their first points of the tournament thanks to Harmony Vatau’s penalty.
Mitchell’s women, however, were ruthless - despite the head coach making 13 changes to the side that decimated the United States in their opener in Sunderland, but it was one of the survivors - Breach - who stole the headlines with a scintillating showing.
England vs Samoa latest news
- Breach scores hat-trick
- Rowland adds another
- Clifford gets in on act
- Vatau knocks over Samoa penalty
- Packer notches with nine-snipe
- Atkin-Davies makes it a rout
FT: England 92-3 Samoa
18:43 , Oli GentThere we have it. A superb win.
14 tries. 92 points. Emphatic.
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England 92-3 Samoa
18:42 , Oli Gent80 mins: Try! Yes, they do! MacDonald is on the scoresheet, as she stumbles over the whitewash at the death! Rowland converts.
England 85-3 Samoa
18:40 , Oli Gent79 mins: A minute to go. Do England have another try in them?
England 85-3 Samoa
18:36 , Oli Gent74 mins: Try! Breach gets her hat-trick, and she is playing some stunning rugby. It’s played out to her wide-right by Muir and Sing, and she’s gone, diving over in the corner. Rowland has a tricky conversion, which she puts wide.
England 80-3 Samoa
18:34 , Oli Gent72 mins: Penalty, Samoa. Hunt takes a tap-and-go penalty and it’s worked out for Rowland, but it’s played on the ground, and the visitors have a penalty.
England 80-3 Samoa
18:32 , Oli Gent70 mins: Try! Packer is on the board - Marlie, that is - as Feanuati makes the burst around the back, and the skipper picks up the pieces! Rowland misses the conversion.
England 75-3 Samoa
18:26 , Oli Gent65 mins: Try! No11 for the Red Roses as Rowland goes down the blind side after great play from MacDonald and Sing, before Rowland powers over. The fly-half dusts herself down, and she converts against the touchline.
England 68-3 Samoa
18:23 , Oli Gent64 mins: No try! A try of the tournament contender denied as Breach goes for a trademark dart past the entire Samoan defence, but her right foot brushes the touchline!
England 68-3 Samoa
18:20 , Oli Gent61 mins: Try! Carson with an instant impact! She fought back to make this World Cup with a big injury at the Six Nations, but she gets her just rewards, finishing from close range. Rowland adds two.
England 61-3 Samoa
18:16 , Oli Gent58 mins: Held up! Campbell makes a dart for the line, but she’s held up really well by the visitors.
England 61-3 Samoa
18:15 , Oli Gent57 mins: Changes afoot for the Red Roses as May Campbell, Mackenzie Carson, and Maud Muir are all on for Clifford, Davies, and Bern.
England 61-3 Samoa
18:12 , Oli Gent54 mins: Try! Breach crosses the whitewash with her second! A nice piece of interplay from England, with a neat lay-off from Clifford, and the winger dives over. Another two from Rowland.
England 54-3 Samoa
18:08 , Oli Gent50 mins: Try! England roar down the other end, as Bern looks to add her second, but is short... but this time it’s over, as Clifford touches down to steady the ship. Rowland adds the two.
England 47-3 Samoa
18:06 , Oli Gent47 mins: Samoa have flown out of the blocks and are pushing for a score here! They are ten metres out from scoring at a World Cup... Foaese is at the heart of it... but England have got the penalty, as Packer does so well at the breakdown.
England 47-3 Samoa
18:02 , Oli Gent44 mins: She’s scored! They are loving that, as Vatau knocks it over!
England 47-0 Samoa
18:01 , Oli Gent43 mins: What a scrum! The Samoans win a penalty, forcing a collapse!
They want to go for the posts here. They’re celebrating like they’ve scored!
Kick off!
17:57 , Oli Gent41 mins: We’re back.
HT: England 47-0 Samoa
17:44 , Oli GentThere’s half time. Fairly one-sided, it has to be said...
What will the second half have in store?
England 47-0 Samoa
17:42 , Oli Gent40 mins: Lasini does really well to track back and England go over the top, off their feet. Penalty, Samoa.
England 47-0 Samoa
17:41 , Oli Gent39 mins: Iosefo is four metres away from the tryline... but it’s knocked on, and England turn it over! They’ve spun it out wide...
England 47-0 Samoa
17:40 , Oli Gent37 mins: A nice phase from Samoa as Lasini takes over, and she finds Fiafia on the left. Onesemo-Tuilaepa does well to make further yards, and Foaese makes the dart. The crowd want this for Samoa, weirdly enough. Can they score?
England 47-0 Samoa
17:36 , Oli Gent33 mins; Try! There’s one more as Lucy Packer scores her fourth of her international career. She does well with the nine-sniping finish. Rowland adds the extras.
England 40-0 Samoa
17:32 , Oli Gent30 mins: Try! A superb push from the England mall, and it’s a well-executed move as Atkin-Davies dots down. Rowland adds two more.
England 33-0 Samoa
17:30 , Oli Gent29 mins: What happened there! It’s no try, as Meg Jones tries to leave the bobbling ball for Shekells, and then the centre tries to touch down herself, but it bounces clear!
England 33-0 Samoa
17:26 , Oli Gent25 mins: Try! That is so good from Feaunati from the Samoa scrum. England win it, and she drags it with her feet, dribbling to the line before dotting down! Rowland adds the two.
England 26-0 Samoa
17:23 , Oli Gent23 mins: Another scrum as it’s worked back inside for Jones, who can’t gather the ball as she looks to break away for her hat-trick, and she knocks it on!
England 26-0 Samoa
17:23 , Oli Gent22 mins: The line-out isn’t straight and there’s a Samoan scrum. It’s a great push from England, and there’s a Samoa knock-on. Five-metre scrum, and it’s out for Sing, and now Breach, but they can’t convert as the ball goes awry!
England 26-0 Samoa
17:20 , Oli Gent20 mins: Penalty, England. A good counter-ruck from the hosts and the Samoans don’t release. Rowland kicks for touch, and the Red Roses have the line-out.
England 26-0 Samoa
17:18 , Oli Gent17 mins: Try! Meg Jones gets her second! She makes the burst down the right-hand side, and she touches down under close challenge! Rowland can’t convert this time.
England 21-0 Samoa
17:15 , Oli Gent14 mins: Try! Feaunati makes a No8 pick-up as she spots a yard of space, and Packer takes over. Clifford charges onto it, and Galligan pops it off for Feaunati again... and the try is given! Sarah Bern claims it. Rowland adds the extras.
England 14-0 Samoa
17:12 , Oli Gent12 mins: Really smart play from Shekells as she goes for the grubber, which she knows the Samoans will panic about. They knock it on, and Lucy Packer can feed it into the scrum here, just shy of the five-metre.
England 14-0 Samoa
17:09 , Oli Gent9 mins: Try! ... and it’s a second! It’s worked all the way out to Jess Breach, who puts on the afterburners on the outside to touch down in the corner! Rowland has a tricky task tight to the touchline with the conversion, which goes in off the post!
England 7-0 Samoa
17:08 , Oli Gent8 mins: Scrum down, England. A knock-on from the visitors and it’s a good push...
England 7-0 Samoa
17:07 , Oli Gent6 mins: Foaese makes a big challenge on Shekells, and it’s worked wide to MacDonald. She’s held up, and England are forced to play it back from whence it came. Samoa do well to turn over, however.
England 7-0 Samoa
17:04 , Oli Gent4 mins: Try! There’s the first! It’s Megan Jones who opens the scoring, with a superb dart through the Samoan line. She steps on the gas after the lay-off from Clifford. Rowland adds the extras.
England 0-0 Samoa
17:03 , Oli Gent3 mins: A good break from Shekells on World Cup debut as England are on the front foot straight away. Sing drives through centre-field, and Galligan is straight into Atonio at the breakdown.
Kick off!
17:00 , Oli Gent1 min: We are underway.
The players are out!
16:55 , Oli GentAnd time for the national anthems...
Permutations
16:50 , Oli GentEngland know that if they win here, they will qualify for the knockout stages.
Seems simple enough. What can the second string do?
Scotland win!
16:47 , Oli GentThe Scots are victorious against Fiji, beating them 29-15 in Salford.
They are joint top of Pool B with Canada on 10 points!
How are Australia doing?
16:30 , Oli GentAustralia made a statement start to their World Cup campaign with a 73-0 thrashing of Samoa in their opening game in Salford.
They take on the United States at the LNER Community Stadium in York later this evening.
Around the grounds
16:21 , Oli GentWhat are the other scores on the doors from today’s games?
Canada 42-0 Wales
Scotland 29-10 Fiji*
*latest score
England team analysis
16:10 , Oli GentLet’s dissect John Mitchell’s selection, shall we?
Jess Breach is one of two survivors from the side that beat the US, and she is one try away from 50 for her country.
Claudia Moloney-MacDonald returns from injury in the No11 jersey, with Emma Sing promoted to full back.
Megan Jones is the other player to start both pool games so far, and she is partnered by tournament debutant Jade Shekells.
Helena Rowland has recovered from her ankle knock to play at fly-half with Lucy Packer named at scrum-half.
In the pack, Lilli Ives Campion and Abi Burton will debut at a World Cup at lock and back row.
Kelsey Clifford, Lark Atkin-Davies and Sarah Bern make up a new-look front row and lock Rosie Galligan completes the front five .
Marlie Packer captains the side from openside and Maddie Feaunati is at No8 against the country her dad, Zak, appeared for 13 times.
Standard Sport prediction
16:00 , Oli GentThis should be fairly easy pickings for England, despite the wholesale changes to the lineup.
It could be a slow start as fringe players look to gel with each other, but you would imagine that this will be a relatively straightforward victory for the hosts.
England to win by eighty points.
Samoa lineup
15:49 , Oli GentConfirmed Samoa XV: Wright-Akeli; Lasini, Pouri-Lane, Makisi, Fiafia; Vatau, Afuie; Aiolupotea, Nonutunu, Aiono, C Onesemo-Tuilaepa, D Onesemo-Tuilaepa, Atonio, Pauaraisa, Foaese.
Replacements: Leuta, Tauasosi, Losefo, Sio, Jamie Iva, Leaula, Ah-Cheung.
England lineup
15:35 , Oli GentConfirmed England XV: Sing; Breach, Jones, Shekells, Moloney-MacDonald; Rowland, Packer; Clifford, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Campion, Galligan, Burton, Packer (capt), Feaunati.
Replacements: Campbell, Carson, Muir, Talling, Kabeya, Hunt, Harrison, Kildunne.
England team news
15:25 , Oli GentEngland boss John Mitchell has rung the changes as expected after the opener against the US.
Zoe Aldcroft has been ruled out for the rest of the group stage with a knee injury, and she is one of 13 changes that Mitchell has made the XV.
Marlie Packer will resume the captaincy in Aldcroft’s absence, with the skipper missing a game for the first time since being named captain in January.
How to watch
15:15 , Oli GentTV channel: Live coverage of the match is available via BBC Two. The BBC are the official rights holders to the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Their broadcast starts at 4.35pm BST ahead of a 5pm kick-off.
Live stream: Fans with a valid TV license can also watch the match live online via BBC iPlayer.
Hello and welcome!
14:57 , Oli Gent... to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of the Red Roses’ second group game of the Women’s World Cup at Franklin’s Gardens, Northampton.
Today they take on Samoa, with kick off at 5pm BST.
Stay tuned for all the updates!
