Red Roses Master Conditions To Make Semi-finals

As rainfall sheeted down connected nan Ashton Gate roof, it was clear this was an day for making progress, alternatively than statements.

New Zealand deed their straps against Ireland past weekend, winning 40-0. Canada underlined their title credentials pinch a superb capacity against Australia connected Saturday.

And England?

Well, England cruised done nan excavation stages beneath afloat cylinders.

While United States, Samoa and Australia were each comprehensively beaten , nan Red Roses are moving to their ain soul higher standards.

When you person won 30 consecutive matches, you person to.

Head coach John Mitchell has pointed to a small untidiness here, immoderate slack hands there, and periods wherever England person been slow to commencement aliases fto up nan unit connected nan accelerator.

On different day, nether a different sky, an eager and enterprising Scotland mightiness person been perfect opponents for England to show disconnected nan polished 80-minute, all-court capacity we person yet to spot astatine nan World Cup.

As it was, near-monsoon conditions connected this quarter-final Sunday washed those ideas down nan drain. England racked up triumph number 31 successful their increasing database and sewage retired of here.

Fly-half Holly Aitchison, fixed a first chance to show disconnected her play-making, game-breaking smarts, added nan bells and whistle she could.

Her scope of passing put nan ever-impressive Meg Jones into a hole, earlier different beautiful wide shot gave Abby Dow abstraction to scamper successful for her 50th England try.

Aitchison slid successful during nan 2nd half herself aft Zoe Harrison, disconnected nan chair to reclaim nan 10 shirt, slipped her a smart wrong ball.

On different attack, Aitchison put footwear to ball, attempting to prime retired Dow pinch a cross-field bomb.

That was overcooked. And possibly over-ambitious.

"She was a spot rusty early connected I thought and past she grew into nan match," said Mitchell of Aitchison.

"Then erstwhile she went to wrong centre she was astir that statement break [that led to Scotland's precocious try] truthful location are a mates of things for her to hole up.

"But she is simply a people player, we person invested a batch of clip successful her complete nan past 3 years, and she showed she is fresh to travel backmost and execute astatine this level."

Ultimately, immoderate aspirations England had to push nan envelope, it made much consciousness to shove it up nan jumper.

No squad is amended suited to nan close-quarters combat.

Morwenna Talling was named subordinate of nan match, but second-row partner Rosie Galligan, crashing crossed nan summation statement again and again, can't person been acold behind.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft, backmost for nan first clip since nan tourney opener aft a knee injury, put to furniture immoderate fittingness doubts pinch a capacity of fury and accuracy.

Sadia Kabeya topped nan game's tackle count pinch 20, a singular statistic considering England had 55% of possession arsenic well.

Maud Muir was immense, while Kelsey Clifford filled successful ably for nan injured Hannah Botterman astatine loose-head, bashing complete for 2 tries.

Much of nan attraction successful nan build-up had been connected Helena Rowland.

Ellie Kildunne, whose concussion symptoms must person eased judging by nan measurement she was whacking a pitchside drum, has much evident stardust to her game.

The step, nan spurt of speed, nan top-end gait are matched by fewer successful nan game.

They dress up nan highlight-reel contented that makes Kildunne a world subordinate of nan year.

But Rowland has subtler gifts.

The measurement she trim successful precocious connected 1 first-half walk from Jones, taking her past Scotland's Rhona Lloyd and Chloe Rollie earlier they had realised wherever they were, was a premier example.

She is besides alert successful nan backfield and, successful opposition to past week wherever Australia poked holes pinch kicks, Rowland ably fielded immoderate Loughborough Lightning team-mate Helen Nelson pinged her way.

Mitchell enjoyed those mini specifications and his side's pragmatism.

"I thought it was a terrific performance," he told BBC Sport.

"We put them successful their ain half, we kept them location and we collapsed them and built unit connected them pinch set-piece - frequently.

"We forced them into a batch of antagonistic situations, they had to bent connected arsenic we kept applying pressure. We near a small spot retired there, but considering nan conditions, it was awesome."

France dealt pinch akin conditions successful Exeter against Ireland and, by a smaller margin, besides recovered a measurement done nan maelstrom.

The long-range forecast for adjacent Saturday successful Bristol, for what it is worth, is bedewed again.

England person yet to beryllium they are a squad for each seasons, but, if we get a repetition of these conditions, they won't person to be.