Sarah Hunter, England’s captain, says that her side can not “lose their way” in Saturday’s Grand Slam decider against France. This is similar to what happened against Ireland.
After sustaining a soft-tissue injury, Poppy Cleall may not be able to play for England in the France match.
Simon Middleton, head coach, said that the forward is awaiting medical testing.
England looked set to surpass the record crowd of 15,836 at the time Lark Davies crossed the line in the opening minute.
After Abbie Ward’s score was ruled out of play, Sarah Bern made it to the tryline before the break. Ireland won multiple penalties at the scrum/breakdown.
Hunter said, “We got off on a good foot,”
“We lost our way a little bit. We must find a way to get that start and keep it going.
“Our penalties and enforced errors at the breakdown eased that pressure, then we had to rebuild it. It’s impossible to afford that in the match against France.
England is ‘getting used’ to large crowds
England looked much more clinical after the break, scoring nine tries to win a 22nd consecutive win as they attempt to capture a fourth Women’s Six Nations title.
Middleton answered a question about whether the record attendance initially distracted them. He said that they were “getting used” to playing in front large crowds.
He said, “But at the beginning we made some individual mistakes which stifled the play.”
“They were uncharacteristic mistakes that took the steam out the game. It was a problem that we solved.”
Scarratt hits 100
Emily Scarratt won her 100th cap in Leicester, her hometown.
According to the centre’s statement, reaching the milestone before a Welford Road crowd was more than what you could ever imagine.
She continued, “It was a comforting feeling.”
It was amazing, but you can’t put it into words. We have a six-day turnaround so celebrations won’t be as loud tonight. But, we’ll most likely smash it next week.”