England’s Red Roses stormed into the quarter-finals of the Women’s Rugby World Cup with a record-breaking performance, thrashing Samoa 92-3 in a display of overwhelming dominance. The victory, secured at Franklin’s Gardens, marks the Red Roses’ largest winning margin in World Cup history and extends their remarkable winning streak to 29 consecutive matches.
The hosts, who made 13 changes to the squad that defeated the United States in the opening match, showed no loss of form, scoring seven tries in a blistering first half to lead 47-0 at the break. Centre Megan Jones and wing Jess Breach were at the heart of the attack, with Jones scoring a brace and Breach crossing for the first of her hat-trick. Other first-half try scorers included Sarah Bern, Maddie Feaunati, Lark Atkin-Davies, and Lucy Packer.
While the professional Red Roses were in a league of their own, the fully amateur Samoan side received one of the biggest cheers of the day when fly-half Harmony Vatau slotted a penalty, giving her side their first points of the tournament. The celebrations that followed showed the sheer determination and spirit of the Pacific Islanders.
However, England quickly regained control, with another seven tries in the second half. Fly-half Helena Rowland, who converted 11 of England’s 14 tries, broke the individual record for points scored in a single Women’s World Cup game, finishing with a total of 27 points.
The Red Roses’ record-breaking win sets up a decisive pool decider against Australia, who are also undefeated, next Saturday in Brighton. The match will determine who tops Pool A as England looks to continue its relentless march toward the World Cup final.
