England 62-24 Wales: Women’s Six Nations rugby union – as it happened

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Thanks for joining us this afternoon.We’ll be back for the next round of games.We’ll leave you with Sarah’s report from Ashton Gate.There is an alternate universe where Meg Jones played the Six Nations clash between England and Wales in a red shirt instead of a white one.The Red Roses captain was born in Cardiff and can speak fluent Welsh but she chose to play for England, being qualified through her mother.

That decision is surely one of the most important to England’s current form with Jones an integral and irreplaceable cog in the Red Roses’ machine.Jones was named skipper before the Six Nations with Zoe Stratford pregnant and she has more than stepped to the plate.The 2025 World Rugby player of the year nominee has scored in two of the three opening matches of the tournament, bagging two against Wales at a sold-out Ashton Gate.Not only is she getting herself on the scoresheet, she is also proving to be the linchpin in the majority of the side’s attacking moves.Off pitch she is also inspiring the next generation, speaking candidly about the grief she has experienced after losing both of her parents in 2024.

Jones said in the buildup to the game this particular match means that much more now and she displayed that on the pitch with another stellar performance.Jones and her team may have inflicted their 11th consecutive win over Wales, despite losing Sadia Kabeya to injury after 21 minutes, but the team have clearly improved under Sean Lynn.Wales secured a bonus-point with four tries, the final one coming from Seren Lockwood.The 24 points scored by the visitors was the most they had ever recorded against England and was 12 more than they had in their previous encounter at last year’s Six Nations.Reaction from England’s Marlie Packer, who becomes No 3 on the Red Roses’ all-time try-scoring list:double quotation markReally pleased.

Wales gave us a tough game today, we know they’ve improved … Really proud of the girls’ performance.It’s massive.It’s incredible because selling out these stadiums means everything to us … We’re loving it.Every time we come into camp, we enjoy being with the Red Roses.It’s a really nice place to be.

”England keep marching on! Good game.Wales gave plenty but the Red Roses are just too strong.Wales score at the death! Great move.They went down the line, took some work getting the ball to Lockwood, but they did it.Then the finish in the corner.

Fair play Wales.80 min: Marlie Packer wins player of the match.I’d have given it to Meg Jones, but she’s a deserving winner.80 min: Wales kick to the corner.One last chance to have the final word.

78 min: Two minutes to go.Wales have a scrum inside England’s half.Bevan sends it left and they run hard.Bevan milks a penalty off the back of Muir who is on the wrong side of the ruck.George attempts a chip and chase.

Nothing doing,So they come back for the pen,Ten up for England! Feaunati starts the move with a busting run through midfield,She finds Robinson who comes close,So close in fact that from there it’s all the heavy forwards picking and going.

The last to touch the balls is Muir who digs deep and dots down.The skipper scores! Credit to Wales.They have not gone away.Off the line-out, its a series of pick and goes.Eventually the wall cracked and from close range Lewis burrowed over.

Bevan, who has been nothing short of outstanding, slots the conversion.72 min: Bevan shows outrageous footwork as she wriggles away from four English defenders and then bursts upfield.Wow, what a run that is! She’s nailed by Kildunne.Was it high? Looked it.But they don;’t wait as Wales kick to the corner and set up a line-out inside England’s 22.

71 min: Marlie Packer wants a hat-trick and is hanging out in the right wide channel.She has exploited an overlap and is ready to gather a long pass.But she spills it.England are not done.They’re hunting more but have to defend a line-out on Wales’ 22.

Water is wet, England score from a maul! I know I’ve made that joke countless times but then again, England ahve scored countless tries from the maul.Five out, it was pretty much a forgone conclusion.Harrison doesn’t miss and nails this tough conversion from the right.67 min: Spilled on the line! Oh, it looked certain that Moloney-MacDonald had bagged her brace.But just as she went to dot down she spilled it under contact.

It was a lovely grubber from Aitchison – who is suddenly having a wonderful game – to set it up in the left corner.But no.Credit to Lockwood for the covering tackle.66 min: For once England can’t make the line-out stick.George is able to clear it long and she finds touch beyond the 22.

But England win that line-out and come charging straight back.65 min: England on another level right now.Moloney-MacDonald rakes a kick ahead that bounces perfectly until it bobbles out of touch just five short of the Welsh try line for a 50-22.Just too good.So many impressive points in this score.

Harrison’s flat pass for Aitchison who then popped a short pass with soft hands for the onrushing Lutui.Muir showed immense strength busting over the gainline.Aitchison, again, spiralled a lovely ball for Breach down the.right wing and with a player advantage there was no one covering the tram.62 min: And that’s the difference between England and everyone else.

They had a line-out, from the penalty, on halfway, and in the blink if an eye they’ve got Harrison on the front foot and nudging a kick to the corner, forcing Wales to exit from deep inside their own 22.61 min: Ah, how frustrating for Wales.Off the scrum, they keep the ball well.But they just don’t have the punch through contact.That means they can’t get quick ball out the back which means England can set their defensive line which exacerbates the issue.

Soon Wales infringe on the floor searching for that quicker ball and hand a soft penalty to England.58 min: Neat from Wales off the scrum before Bevan, who peeled off, raked a grubber into the corner finding touch.England then lose the ball at the line-out so Wales will have another scrum, this time inside England’s 22.57 min: Off the line-out, England go from left to right and then back to the left.In fact, Wales push them back about 25 metres and force a knock on as Tuipulotu races up and forces the mistake on halfway.

Impressive from Wales.You’d not know it from the score, but they’ve been pretty good this afternoon.54 min: England have brought on a new front row as Kildunne collects a high kick and returns it with interest.England win another kick battle and will have the line-out inside Welsh territory.What a finish! Off the top of the line-out on the right, they go down the line as quickly as they can before finding Moloney-MacDonald.

She’s tackled but keeps her feet and then springs in the air to dot down acrobatically just an inch away from the corner flag,A finish of real quality,The conversion is missed (how impressive does Harrison’s tally of 12/12 last week look now?)Can’t really complain,She stuck out her hand without thinking, but there Breach was right there,If the pass from Kildunne missed Powell I’d have backed England to score.

Or at least come very close.They’ll have a line-out inside the Welsh 22 instead.52 min: Powell could be in trouble for a deliberate knock-on.There was an English player hovering in the right tram and she would have had a clear run to the line.Yup.

Replays show exactly that.Yellow card coming…52 min: Wales exit from the line-out, but not very far.England will have the line-out feed on the Welsh 22.50 min: Keight knocks-on in contact after the Welse line-out teed her up from midfield.England kept it steady and look great with ball in hand.

Jones has it and nudges a little grubber that beats the onrushing defence.I’m not sure a quicker player than Marlie Packer would have got there before it bobbled out on the left touch, but it might have have been close.49 min: Moloney-MacDonald does well near the left touch to hold onto a Bevan box kick.It’s been a scrappy few minutes as both teams try and fail to breach the midfield walls before kicking.Rowland kicsk and finds touch but England are still inside their own half as Wales set their line-out.

Unstoppable! Their maul is literally unstoppable.It stalled at first but when things splintered, the experienced Cokayne spotted the gap back towards the blindside and finished things off.Rowland finds her radar again and slots the conversion from the right.45 min: Now England win the scrum penalty and they keep rumbling.Packer eventually passes the ball.

Rowland – having a great game – finds Jones who flings it far and left for Maloney-MacDonald who tries to beat Powell round the outside.The Welsh winger makes the tackle but England come back for the penalty that is kicked into Wales’ 22.44 min: Wales spill it from the line-out.One step forward, one step back so far this half for the women in red.41 min: There’s a knock-on from Wales just over halfway
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