England beat Ireland in front of record Women's Six Nations crowd
England opened their title defence with a comfortable win over Ireland in front of a record Women's Six Nations crowd of 77,120 at Allianz Stadium. It was the Red Roses' first match since they became world champions in September and was their 34th consecutive Test win. Hooker Amy Cokayne crossed for the opening try, with prop Sarah Bern grabbing two first-half scores.
Slick handling then put Ellie Kildunne clear, but unlike her brilliant solo try in the World Cup final, the full-back lost control when attempting to ground the ball in one hand. Early in the second half, Jess Breach raced onto a kick through to expertly grab the important bonus-point try in front of the record attendance. The previous record crowd for a Women's Six Nations game was the 58,498 that watched the Grand Slam decider between England and France in 2023.
Ireland scored next through replacement Anna McGann, which was cancelled out by an excellent finish from Kildunne. Captain Erin King bagged the final try of the game as the visitors avoided another heavy defeat by the Red Roses. John Mitchell's side, who are seeking an eighth straight Six Nations title and fifth Grand Slam in a row, will now face Scotland (13:30 BST) at Murrayfield next Saturday.
Ireland host Italy (17:40 BST) in Galway later that day. 'Winning teams find ways' - Jones reacts to England victory over Ireland Women's Six Nations: Five-try England beat Ireland in front of record crowd - reaction Pressure resulted in Kildunne losing control of the ball for what looked a certain try England delivered a clinical performance to defeat Canada on their last appearance at Allianz Stadium, ending their 11-year wait for a World Cup. Eight changes from the World Cup final starting XV and a new captain in Megan Jones, who is standing in for pregnant skipper Zoe Stratford, brought a new look to the world champions.
Mitchell has developed his side's attacking game to get his lethal backs on the ball more, but close to the tryline his forwards have remained near unstoppable. The opening scores came through his pack as Cokayne, who started and scored in the World Cup final, finished off the back of a rampaging maul and Bern powered over from close range. Bern's second try came after a neat offload from Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, which rewarded the hosts' willingness to play an open and expansive brand of rugby.