Rugby Union Apr 29, 2026

England 62-24 Wales: Red Roses stay perfect in Six Nations with 10-try romp at sold-out Ashton Gate

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
England 62-24 Wales: Red Roses stay perfect in Six Nations with 10-try romp at sold-out Ashton Gate

Meg Jones and Marlie Packer both scored twice as world champions England ran in 10 tries in a 62-24 Women's Six Nations demolition of Wales.

Maddie Feaunati, debutant Millie David, Amy Cokayne, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, Jess Breach and Maud Muir also went over at Ashton Gate, with Keira Bevan, Kelsey Jones, Bethan Lewis and Seren Lockwood replying as John Mitchell's table-toppers extended their 100 per cent record in the tournament with a third win.

England roared out of the blocks and went ahead with just six minutes gone when Feaunati's break took her side deep into the Welsh 22 and she eventually went over from close range with Helena Rowland adding the conversion.

David made her mark six minutes later, collecting Holly Aitchison's long pass before racing away to touch down, although the 20-year-old winger's big day would end prematurely after she failed a head injury assessment.

To their credit, Wales stayed in the game and quickly reduced the deficit when scrum-half Bevan picked up from the base of the ruck and went through a gap, converting her own try to make it 12-7.

However, flanker Packer was driven over before centre Jones scored a fine solo effort to claim the bonus point with Rowland successful from her first attempt, although Welsh hooker Jones also crossed from a well-worked line-out move.

But the Red Roses went in at the break with a 29-12 lead after Jones started and finished a thrilling attack involving winger Moloney-MacDonald and Ellie Kildunne.

England picked up where they had left off when hooker Cokayne peeled off the back of a rolling maul to touch down with Rowland adding the two points, and the visitors' hopes were dealt a further blow when full-back Kayleigh Powell was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on.

Moloney-MacDonald took full advantage almost immediately with a fine finish in the corner, and Breach scored her side's eighth, converted by fellow replacement Zoe Harrison before Powell's return.

Tries from Packer and Muir either side of Wales flanker Lewis' effort - both of which were converted by Harrison - took England's tally to 10, but Lockwood had the final say to snatch a bonus point for the visitors with the clock in the red.

Player of the match - Marlie Packer - speaking to BBC:

"We're really pleased. Wales have given us a tough game, they have improved massively. We've got a young squad who stepped up today, I'm really proud of the girls' performance.

"It means everything. Just putting on this shirt is a massive honour. Being in front of this crowd at Ashton Gate is incredible. Today meant everything.

"Selling out these stadiums, means everything to us. We want to put a game on for them and hope they enjoy our performances.

"We're loving it every time we come into camp. We enjoy being with the Red Roses. It's a really good environment and a nice place to be, which means we can put this type of product on the pitch."

Wales head coach Sean Lynn, speaking to BBC:

"That's what I asked the girls for today, character.

"Before, 12 months ago, we would have flopped and fallen away, but to show that character to fight back with two tries and get that bonus point, I cannot fault character.

"We disappointed to have leaked 62 points, but that is a very good Red Roses side who were clinical."

In the partisan cauldron of the Stade Marcel-Michelin, the narrative of the 2026 Championship shifted from a three-horse race to a straight shoot-out between the old guard as France eventually beat Ireland.

France's 26-7 victory over was a lesson in the cold, hard currency of Test rugby: efficiency. While Ireland arguably produced the more inventive and dominant rugby for an hour-long stretch, they were ultimately undone by their own profligacy and a French side that refused to panic.

The result sees Les Bleues move level with England at the top of the table, setting the stage for a grandstand finish, while Ireland are left to reflect on a night where three disallowed tries and a faltering kicking game turned a potential historic win into a bruising defeat.

The match will forever be viewed through the lens of Ireland's first-half dominance. Scott Bemand's side played with a frightening intensity, led by the monstrous carrying of Aoife Wafer. Still, despite crossing the whitewash four times in the opening 40 minutes, they only saw the green light once through Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald.

Disallowed scores for Brittany Hogan and Emily Lane, combined with a miraculous try-saving effort by Anaïs Grando, left the game level at 7-7 at the interval. In a game of this magnitude, leaving 15 to 21 points on the field proved fatal.

In the sweltering intensity of the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Italy delivered a masterclass in clinical, high-tempo rugby to dismantle Scotland 41-14.

On a day to celebrate the 50th cap of the pioneering Silvia Turani, the Azzurre produced a performance of such rapier-like precision that the contest was effectively settled before the shadows had even stretched across the Parma turf.

For Scotland, this was a harrowing throwback to a less competitive era. Hamstrung by the late withdrawal of captain Rachel Malcolm and further depleted by a spate of mid-match injuries, Sione Fukofuka's side looked a step behind a revitalised Italian outfit that played with an ambition and accuracy that the visitors simply could not contain.

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