England women head coach John Mitchell has hailed their 87-4 win over Scotland in the second round of the Women’s Six Nations as ‘special’ after a week of adversity leading up to the Murrayfield clash.
England looked rusty in their opening win against Ireland, their second half performance in particular raising questions about their title defence.
Their injury list then only brought more worry as Alex Matthews was ruled out of the match with a shoulder injury and added to a list of Hannah Botterman, Morwenna Talling, Natasha Hunt, May Campbell and Tatyana Heard ruled out of the entire tournament.
In addition, Zoe Stratford, Abbie Ward, Rosie Galligan and Lark Atkin-Davies are missing because of pregnancy.
That led to five changes to the starting line-up, including shifting star Ellie Kildunne onto the wing.
England showed their incredible strength in depth to pull off an 84-7 win over Scotland
Before the contest, Red Roses head coach Mitchell said this was the toughest test his side had faced but it was a chance for each and every player to prove why they are a Red Rose.
They did that and then some.
After five tries in the first half, they added a mammoth seven in the second with Mia Venner and Haineala Lutui finishing off the scoring on their third and second Test appearances respectively.
With a dominant lead on the board, Mitchell had made a raft of changes and those players came on and made their impact. Whether it was the forwards bringing the pressure, and scoring too through Sarah Bern and Marlie Packer, or the young backs showing why they have a future in the international game, they made it clear once again why they are the team to beat.
Kelsey Clifford secured the bonus point with her try
They made it clear they are the world champions.
For Mitchell, the match was a show of “courage” and further proof that his side has adapted to all the moving parts and adversity they have faced.
“That was a special performance, it’s been a lot of moving parts over the last few weeks, with some of the players that are hugely valued in the team having serious injuries and the youngsters as well, so I am fortunate to the staff and the coaching group – they have done a tremendous job,” Mitchell told BBC Sport.
“I think it is the courage that we are showing to a new style of football and I think it is great and they seem to be enjoying it. I am really proud of them today.”
Sarah Bern scored twice for England as they ran riot
One youngster who put on a strong display was back-rower Maddie Feaunati who, for Mitchell, is a player that thrives in a team that is focused on every player playing their own “authentic” game.
“She is a special girl and we are very fortunate to have such brilliant back rowers,” he added.
“We do train very hard and we train above the game demand, in a high-performance mindset, we are a very fit team and when we understand our game and have clarity they are able to be themselves. We are an authentic team which is what makes us special.”
Maddie Feaunati had a phenomenal game for the Red Roses
Lack of depth costs Scotland
While England had a day showing why squad depth matters, for Scotland it was the opposite story where their lack of depth ended up paying.
“Scotland will be disappointed of course with that. Also, they can’t use that as an excuse. They were not good enough today,” said former Scotland international and Harlequins No 8, Jade Konkel on BBC Sport.
“I think the stats speak for themselves; the missed tackles, the lack of gain line; and the amount of turnovers as well. They’ll be frustrated but if they want to compete with the best, they have to step up their game.
“You had a hooker playing flanker. They had a No 9 on the wing. A full-back in the centre. They really had to adapt in the last 20 minutes but unfortunately a lot of tries came from a lack of depth in those positions.”