Scotland's lament as they are crushed by England in Six Nations in front of record Murrayfield crowd
World champions run in 12 tries in Women’s Six Nations mismatch
By the time the ninth England try had been scored the pipes at Murrayfield were sounding like a lament. There were still another 15 minutes to play and it must have felt like a lot longer for those wearing dark blue. They conceded three more tries before the game was up and by then England had racked up 84 points.
No-one had expected Scotland to beat the world champions but this was their heaviest defeat against England since 2019. The visitors were too powerful, too quick, too ruthless. Props Maud Muir and Kelsey Clifford were like marauders-in-chief, coming north to lay waste to their near neighbours.
Sione Fukofuka, the new Scotland coach, had wanted this to be a celebration of women’s sport - and it was - but the scoreline must have been a startling one for the Australian who succeeded Bryan Easson in January.
Easson’s side had met England in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Bristol seven months ago and lost 40-8. England more than doubled their points haul in front of a record crowd at Murrayfield on Saturday, winning 84-7 as they outscored the hosts by 12 tries to one.
There had been talk in the build-up of England’s injury woes. There was also chat of rustiness in their win over Ireland on the opening week of the Women’s Six Nations. But John Mitchell’s side were back to their corrosive best in Edinburgh.
England steamroller the Scots
Scotland, who had beaten Wales 24-19 in Cardiff, couldn’t cope. They started well enough and scored a really good try through Rhona Lloyd but too often found themselves being run over by far stronger opponents.
England started off by working the ball wide to the dangerous Ellie Kildunne but then realised they could steamroller over the top of Scotland. The home side were guilty of too many missed tackles but this felt like a catchweight contest at times, such was England’s muscular superiority.
This game had been marketed as the highest attended standalone women’s sports fixture ever staged in Scotland. In the end, 30,498 came through the turnstiles and there was a party atmosphere at Murrayfield. Feelgood tunes and pyrotechnics were the order of the day. Outside, the pubs around Haymarket and Roseburn were doing brisk business. England supporters had travelled in their numbers, confident as any fan would be if their team were on a 34-game winning streak. The Red Roses have not lost for five years.
Coubrough’s bright start
But fired up by the anthems and their biggest ever home support, Scotland started well. Emily Coubrough, the teenage No 8, had made her debut only the previous week but looked perfectly at home at Murrayfield as she burst through a couple of tackles with a great break. It didn’t lead to a try but it roused the crowd.
But England have not lost to Scotland since 1999 and have not been beaten in the Six Nations since 2018 and they soon made their superiority clear. Kildunne opening the scoring in the seventh minute after good work by No 8 Maddie Feaunati. Kildunne, one of the star turns in this team, had two more opportunities soon after but it was captain Megan Jones who scored the next try, bursting past Helen Nelson. Kildunne then bagged her second before Clifford’s converted try made it 28-0.
Brilliant try from Rhona Lloyd
Scotland needed to stem the flow and their try, when it came, was a cracker. Scotland went through the phases before Nelson hoisted a tantalisingly delicate kick. Chloe Rollie collected it before England could react and the full-back passed it inside to the marauding Lloyd who ran between Kildunne and Jess Breach to score. It was the winger’s 30th try for her country, putting her clear as Scotland Women’s second highest try-scorer of all time behind Lucy Millard. Nelson converted.
Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the Scots and Emma Sing scored England’s fifth try soon after to give the visitors a 35-7 half-time lead.
Scotland lost centre Evie Wills early in the second half to a shoulder injury and their toils continued. England brought fresh power with a new front row and their ruck speed was also a problem for the Scots. There were seven tries after the interval and they were all scored by the team in white.
Amy Cokayne got one and there was a double from replacement tighthead Sarah Bern. The subs were running amok and Marlie Packer, Mia Venner, Haineala Lutui all crossed for England, as did starting flanker Sadia Kabeya.
Zoe Harrison, the visiting fly-half, was exemplary, kicking 12 of 12 conversions. On this form, it’s impossible to see anyone halting their march to an eighth successive Six Nations title.
Teams and scorers at Murrayfield
Scorers: Scotland: Try: Lloyd. Con: Nelson. England: Tries: Kildunne 2, Jones, Clifford, Sing, Cokayne, Bern 2, Packer, Kabeya, Venner, Lutui. Cons: Harrison 12.
Scotland: C Rollie; R Lloyd (R Darroch 62), E Wills (L Scott 43), M Smith, S Campbell (F McGhie 47); H Nelson, L Brebner-Holden (R Darroch 14-25); L Bartlett (D Swann 57), L Skeldon, E Clarke (M Poolman 57), E Wassell, H Cunningham (H Bogan 47), R Malcolm, 7. Alex Stewart (R McLachlan 47), E Coubrough (E Martin 60).
England: E Sing; J Breach, M Jones, H Rowland (M Venner 62), E Kildunne (H Aitchison 62); Z Harrison, L Packer (F Robinson 64); K Clifford (M Carson 51), A Cokayne (C Powell 51), M Muir (S Bern 51), A Burton, L Ives Campion (H Lutui 57), D Short (M Packer 57), S Kabeya, M Feaunati.
Referee: Zoe Naude (SARU)
Attendance: 30,498.
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