Key events
20 min: Rowland skews a kick so Samoa get a chance to keep the ball from a line-out on halfway. They do so with prop Samuelu making good ground. But England’s defence is robust and seven phases later Samoa have gone backwards. Then there’s a massive counter ruck and England win a penalty on the floor. Ruthless from the Red Roses. Rowland doesn’t skew this kick. She drills it into the corner so England will get a chance to maul from about 12 metres out. But the line-out isn’t straight! Let off the for Samoa.
TRY! England 26-0 Samoa (Jones, 17)
England have gone from coast to coast! That is a try straight from the restart. Galligan gathered the Samoan drop-kick. From there it went through the hands with Burton busting over the gainline. MacDonald down the left wing made about 40 metres on her own and off-loaded to Sing in support. They retained possession, showed slick skills with swift passing before Jones joined the line and the angle, finding an edge to score in the right corner. This time Rowland can’t convert from the tram.
TRY! England 21-0 Samoa (Bern, 14)
Powered over! They were not going to be denied. Pure strength from Bern who picked up about two metres short of the line and barrelled over with a low body like a torpedo. Rowland, from right in front, nudges over the extras.
14 min: England win another penalty from the scrum. Campion carries and is nailed. But Samoa weren’t five metres back so England, after spilling the ball, get another shot with a free-kick.
12 min: Shekells is running the show. Rowland feeds her from the front-foot and the midfielder hacks a grubber ahead. It’s well placed but the Samoan fullback Wright-Akeli shoots round to clean it up. But she’s swarmed by three women in white and gives up a scrum after failing to free the ball. England will have the feed about 10 metres out with a short blindside on the left.
11 min: Shekells is having a top game. She played the final pass for Breach’s try and is again stitching things together in midfield. There’s a high tackle – again – as England look to keep the ball after the restart so they have a clearing penalty kick that finds touch over halfway.
TRY! England 14-0 Samoa (Breach, 8)
Jess Breach scores her 50th try for England and it’s a banger! The scrum monsters Samoa’s pack. Hunt picks up the ball and chooses to go right. There are only two runners on that side but one of them is winger Breach who stands up her tackler, shifts her weight and accelerates towards the line. Devastating running from the try machine. Rowland, from way out right, squeezes the conversion in off the post.
7 min: England go from right to left as MacDonald has the ball on the front foot down the left wing. They’re building through the phases until Pouri-Lane comes up with a mighty steal for Samoa. But they can’t turn possession into territory as they soon knock the ball one just beyond their own 22. England will have the scrum feed in line with the posts, they’ve got options left and right.
5 min: England had trouble from restarts last week. No trouble this time as Rowland gathers a long kick and punts it out on halfway. They’ll have the ball back as an audacious long throw from a Samoan line-out is very, very skew.
TRY! England 7-0 Samoa (Jones, 4)
Inevitable. England look so comfortable on the ball. They’re able to take the hits, absorb the tacklers and wait for the moment to strike. Bern barged over a tackler to get the go-forward. Then her fellow prop Clifford was hit on a great run, she delayed her pass for Jones on the angle and the centre had an easy run to the try from about 20 metres back. The conversion is good.
3 min: Sing gathers a long kick and runs it back. England keep the ball after Sing cops a big hit. It’s a little loose but Breach mops up in the right tram. There’s a high hit so England are playing under an advantage. Shekells shifts it on from midfield towards the left. bern carries well. Into the 22…
1 min: It’s a very wet outfield. Samoa field the kick-off and Vatua clears. England run it back before Samoa kick again. It’s out for an early England throw inside Samoan territory on the right. Shekells runs it hard and makes ground before the ball is spilled. Samoa have it back.
Right then. Referee Maggie Cogger-Orr stands with authority. She raises her whistle to her lips, gives it a shrill blast, Helena Rowland drops the ball, hoofs it into the Northampton skies and we are underway!
The anthems are ringing out. These are incredible scenes. The stadium is absolutely packed!
Apparently Samoa were training with a boombox blasting at full volume, just so their players could get used to the noise. Not sure they’ve ever expereinced anything like this.
I just hope they don’t catch stage fright. A few wet eyes among the women in blue as they sing their anthem. Lovely stuff.
The players are making their way out of the tunnel.
Time enough for a word from the Samoan defence coach Fuimaono Bella Milo:
We had a pretty brutal review on Sunday (after losing 73-0 to Australia) and think the girls really took that in. They were upset about the way they performed, so we had a lot of honest conversations about the way we prepared and the way we turned up. We thought we had a lot better second half, so we’re trying to take the positives out of that and move it into this week’s game.
When you’ve got 32 players that have never played in a World Cup, going out in the front of a crowd of 10,000, that’s something we haven’t experienced. Playing England at home is going to be huge, and I hear there’s going to be a big crowd.
We’re really looking to focus on our defence, trying to stop their first-phase attack then getting our systems round the corner. In terms of attack, we’re just working on hold onto the ball. If we can onto the ball, our big ball carriers can get into the game.
Marlie Packer skippers today, playing in her fourth World Cup [insert Peep Show meme here].
As you’d expect, she’s pumped for this one”
Me and Meg Jones have massively stepped up this week. We’ve just been there to support Zoe [Aldcroft – the injured squad captain] in whatever she needs, but she’s also been doing the same for us in training today. Me, her and Meg caught up after the session today, just talking about a couple of little bits we want to work on as a group in how we want to be perceived, so we’re still just doing our roles as normal.
I was fortunate enough to be water girl (in the opening match v USA). It was a very special occasion and one that I know will live with us for ever. We’re now just looking forward to taking the field this week.
England’s coach John Mitchell is calling for consistency today.
He’s also in a philosophical mood:
Firstly, we’re not going to get bored around being consistent and as much as we got the right result last week, we have standards to uphold, so the girls get challenged occasionally on standards because we’ve got to keep growing.
Ultimately, I think the biggest challenge for the girls on the weekend will be we’re going to get space, we’re going to find it, we’re going to attack it, but we’re going to have to be patient with our execution in that space because we might get a little bit more space than normal. Sometimes you can fall into the trap of fool’s gold, and try and get too loose too early, so that’ll be the biggest challenge with this combination.
In a world where listening and understanding is difficult in the way that we live life, I think I learned the other day that listening’s dropped by about 20 per cent in the last 15 years. On average people listen for 8.25 seconds, so I think we’d rather focus on us trying to understand what we’re doing and making sure that lands in the week.
This is a great piece from Andy Bull.
The standout line: “It’s a sign a sport has matured that everyone involved is able to be honest about what everyone’s watching, instead of celebrating the simple fact that so many people are.”
Canada made light work of Wales.
Read our report here:
Samoa team
The Samoans, nicknamed the Manusina after the white tern found across the archipelago, are an eclectic bunch.
Among the ranks there is a primary school teacher, a nurse, a police officer and a roofer. They’ve had to fundraise simply to take part in the World Cup. In truth, they stand little chance of an upset.
But they’ll compete with pride. And if they can get their number eight Nina Foaese on the ball they’ll cause the English defence some problems.
There’s little expectation which gives them licence to go out and enjoy what could be the best day of their rugby lives, playing in front of a packed stadium, testing themselves against a squad of professionals. A couple of tries and some big tackles will live long in the memory.
Samoa: Karla Wright-Akeli; Davina Lasini, Keilamarita Pouri Lane, Fausa Makisi, Linda Fiafia, Harmony Vatau, Ana Afuie; Denise Ailupotea, Faith Nonutunu, Glory Aiono Samuelu, Christabelle Onesemo, Demielle Onesemo, Utumalam Atonio, Sui Tausa Pauaraisa (c), Nina Foaese.
Replacements: Cathy Lulu Leuta, Ti Tauasosi, Tori Iosefo, Analise Sio, Madisen-Jade Iva, Saelua Leaula, Taytana Pati Ah Cheung, Michelle Curry.
England team
The Red Roses will have to navigate the rest of the group stage without their skipper, Zoe Aldcroft.
The talismanic lock sustained a knee injury in the opening night win over the USA and joins Emily Scarratt (shoulder) and Holly Aitchison (ankle) on the injury list.
Marlie Packer makes her first appearance of the tournament this afternoon and is one of 13 changes to the team that opened the account last Friday. The 35-year-old battering ram will captain the team in her fourth World Cup campaign.
Megan Jones keeps her place at outside centre having played all 80 minutes against the Eagles and partners Jade Shekels in midfield. Helena Rowland gets a chance to show her stuff at fly-half.
England: Emma Sing; Jess Breach, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, Megan Jones, Jade Shekells, Helena Rowland, Lucy Packer; Kelsey Clifford, Lark Atkin-Davies, Sarah Bern, Lilli Ives Campion, Rosie Galligan, Abi Burton, Marlie Packer (c), Maddie Feaunati.
Replacements: May Campbell, MacKenzie Carson, Maud Muir, Morwenna Talling, Sadia Kabeya, Natasha Hunt, Zoe Harrison, Ellie Kildunne.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
There isn’t a more dominant team in any sport than the Red Roses.
If you know of a bigger gap between first and second in any other ecosystem I’m all ears. The simple truth is that England should win this World Cup at a canter. That is not meant to be disrespectful to the other teams. It’s just recognising the financial, emotional and cultural investment in the women’s game by the RFU and how, across every metric, they’ve left their competitors in their dust.
Our correspondent on the ground, Sarah Rendell, has said that a Samoan victory today would be “one of the biggest ever upsets”. She’s under selling it. It would be THE BIGGEST upset in any sport ever.
That doesn’t mean that England should go out there and play in second gear. Despite the 69-7 scoreline in their opening win over USA, they weren’t perfect. A flawless show here this afternoon would underline the team’s supremacy.
A win won’t do. A bonus point won’t do. Even a cricket score won’t do. What England need is an 80 minute performance where things click, where shapes form on attack and systems function as they should on defence. Line-outs, mauls and scrums need to thrum with mechanical efficiency. Kicks and passes need to land where they’re aimed.
Will it all come together? We’ll find out when things get going at 5pm BST in Northampton.
Teams, updates and other bits to come.
