Key events
68 min: Defensive scrum for Scotland. Evie Gallagher makes a trademark bullocking run after collecting the ball off the deck. Scotland are making a few inroads now and as Sara Orchard points out, the second half taken in isolation is 7-7 at the moment, as we move towards the final 10 minutes.
66 min: Safe to say that the fluency of England’s first-half performance has faded somewhat. They have scored one exceptional try in the second half but Scotland have managed to force the floodgates partially shut.
62 min: Leicester-born Emily Scarratt is going to be next on to the park for England. It’s her 118th cap and she provokes a big roar from the crowd when she jogs on, replacing Megan Jones.
59 min: England’s Shekells, Feaunati, Aldcroft have all left the action. Morwenna Talling is on for Aldcroft while Alex Matthews, Natasha Hunt and Helena Rowland have all joined the fray. For Scotland McGhie, Young and Skeldon are off for Scott, Martin, Bartlett respectively.
Try! England 49-7 Scotland (Thomson)
The fans love it! Scotland have a try! It was a well-worked driving maul and England could not keep them out. Head coach Bryan Easson smiles while conferring with his staff up in the stand. Nelson converts.
58 min: Scotland, finally, are over the line! The referee goes upstairs, saying she has seen a clear grounding among the pile of bodies, but wants to check for a knock-on. On-field decision is try and it all looks OK to me …
56 min: But next week be damned, how many tries do England want here? For now there is some defending to do and they repel Scotland’s latest advances with the same enthusiasm they’ve brought to every facet of the game today.
55 min: Selection for next week’s Grand Slam decider against France is already shaping up to be fascinating. There have been countless top-draw performances from England, none more so than MacDonald, who has two tries.
54 min: May Campbell, Hannah Botterman and Maud Muir all come on for England as Mitchell freshens up his entire front row. The Bomb Squad.
Try! 50 min: England 49-0 Scotland (MacDonald)
I mentioned earlier that accuracy, fluency and execution will be England’s aim. That had it all. Sensational score finished by MacDonald and converted by Aitchison. Shekells makes the initial run, a pacy dart over halfway on the England right. The ball was recycled worked right to left. There are superb passes by Kildunne, Packer, Aitchison … and MacDonald scorches over the line down the left after the space is created for her expertly by teammates. Aitchison remains flawless off the tee. This is precisely the kind of form England are looking for in World Cup year …
49 min: Thomson appears to knock on with Scotland on the back foot, but the referee doesn’t object. England soon have a chance to counterattack and Shekells gets hands on the ball.
48 min: Rollie feeds McGhie on the left wing, a rare opportunity for Scotland, but she knocks on. A waste, especially in view of the scarcity of possession for the visitors.
45 min: Scrum for Scotland inside England’s half. A chance to trouble the scorers?
43 min: Fran McGhie, who was exceptional in the win over Wales last month, brings the ball back out of the Scottish 22 with a mazy run. She makes a few yards before being dragged down.
42 min: Sunshine now in Leicester. Kildunne pumps a kick downfield and Lisa Thomson fields it in the Scottish 22 and clears. Feaunati needs some treatment, looks like she’s taken a nasty knock to the face.
Second half kick-off
Here we go. Rearrange these two words into a well-known phrase: “Limitation” and “damage”.
“Scotland are defending well, especially close to the touch line, but England keep finding a way through,” emails Tim. “Similarly Scotland marking Kildunne just makes more space for other runners. I can’t see them coming back.”
Me neither!
Thoughts? You can email me.
Half-time reading from the Gallagher Premiership:
Half time: England 42-0 Scotland
Experimental selection? If so, it’s a remarkably successful experiment.
Try! 39 min: England 42-0 Scotland (Atkin-Davies)
Smart move on the touch line to keep a ball in play by Kildunne. England are on the front foot again with a lineout five metres or so from the line … Aitchison is brought down initially and the ball is on the slow side. Scotland do what they can but again the raw power of England’s ball carriers is impossible to deal with. Lark Atkin-Davies crashes over and Aitchison makes it a perfect six out of six from the tee.
37 min: MacDonald is having a tremendous day, and it’s credit to England’s continuity in the middle that they are getting the ball out to her in space on that left wing with such regularity. England switch their latest attack from left to right and Dow is nearly over in the corner but she spills it forward and has a foot in touch too. England have made 517 attacking metres to Scotland’s 128. The visitors are in all sorts of bother and they desperately need a foothold of some sort. Difficult to see where it comes from though.
Try! 34 min: England 35-0 Scotland (Ward)
Abbie Ward with No 5! Scotland fluff a defensive lineout. Galligan claims it. England are then camped in the Scotland 22 and it’s just a matter of time before Ward applies the finishing touch. Aitchison strokes over another lovely kick off the tee. This is all going swimmingly for England, especially in comparison the games against Italy (round one) and Ireland (round three) when they were really made to toil.
33 min: Dow feeds MacDonald who is released down the left yet again. Emma Orr pulls off a stunning tap tackle though!
30 min: Like a punch-drunk boxer, Scotland bounce off the ropes and come out swinging. They progress to within a few yards of the England try-line after an attacking lineout and they construct a decent set play. But then there’s another steal and it’s the scorer of the most recent try, MacDonald of Exeter, who snaffles possession and then tries to smash through a tackle or two. More good stuff from England, in defence this time.
Try! 27 min: England 28-0 Scotland (MacDonald)
The England wing deservedly has a try after a seriously bright start! There was a hint of a knock-on by Aitchison in the buildup but the officials look happy with it. MacDonald torches the defensive cover with an explosive, jinking run into the 22 and dives joyously over the line. Aitchison nails conversion No 4. This is clinical, punishing stuff from England.
25 min: England rumble to the line again looking for No 4. They are over, but it’s held up. Great work by Anne Young the Scotland prop.
Try! 21min: England 21-0 Scotland (Aldcroft)
That’s superb from Aldcroft! Scotland have a decent attacking position around halfway and look to move the ball right to left. But the England captain rushes forward out of the defensive line and steals a pass by Helen Nelson in midfield … the Scottish defence is nowhere and Aldcroft displays her impressive athleticism to sprint unchallenged to the line. Three out of three for Aitchison off the tee. That was top-class back-row business from Aldcroft. Mitchell’s pre-match complaint about this team being labelled ‘experimental’ is looking valid: but the question remains, when, if ever, will he settle on a first-choice side?
20 min: Kildunne nips down the right wing now, and offers a pass inside for Lucy Packer, but she has a foot in touch.
Try! 17 min: England 14-0 Scotland (Packer)
It’s Packer’s 50th England try! The Red Roses get a shove on at scrum time. Maddie Feaunati shepherds the ball for a few moments at the base of the scrum, from No 8, then makes a run for the line. She is tackled but Packer then takes it up on the next phase and there is no stopping her from that range. Another good kick by Aitchison for the extras.
17 min: Another attacking scrum for England.
14 min: England are on the attack again and this time it’s Scottish defence that is impressively robust. Kildunne is wrestled to the floor after running on to a fizzing pass. Then MacDonald grabs a high Scotland box kick with impressive authority and steams down the left wing … but she passes straight to one of the covering defenders. Lovely take though.
13 min: England’s line speed and power in defence is looking good. Scotland are doing their level best to use what possession they can muster but they are being driven back and scythed down relentlessly when they do get ball in hand.
11 min: England lose a lineout for the first time in this tournament and Scotland have a sniff of a chance. But Sarah Bern nabs the ball out of a tackle and England can relieve the pressure. On commentary for the BBC, Sara Orchard tells us that England won 45 lineouts in a row before that. Set-piece dominance.
8 min: Scotland have a smidgen of possession. Chloe Rollie, the full-back, makes a dart on the visitors’ left. A cross-kick is then aimed left to right but England’s full-back Kildunne fields it efficiently and also makes a few yards on the counter, spinning nimbly away from a would-be tackler in the home 22.
Try! 5 min: England 7-0 Scotland (Clifford)
That’s No 1. Power and accuracy from England after an attacking scrum is reset and it’s too much for Scotland to deal with when the ball is worked to the right wing. The desperate visiting defenders look powerless to stop England getting over the gain line with each carry and the seemingly inevitable result is a try from close range for Clifford. Aitchison converts.
4 min: It’s all England so far and shaping up to be a long afternoon in defence for Scotland. A Kildunne pass off her right hand is intended for MacDonald but it’s low and ahead of her teammate and spins out into touch.
3 min: Claudia MacDonald is soon haring down the England left after a nice ball from Aitchison inside and Packer also providing a link in midfield. MacDonald is forced into touch thanks to some solid ‘D’ on the fringes from Scotland.
1 min: It’s a cool and breezy day in Leicester and there’s a bit of rain in the air. A knock-on from Scotland early doors and England have a scrum in the visitors’ half.
First half kick-off!
Holly Aitchison, wearing No 10 for England, kicks off.
The teams are out on the pitch in Leicester. Now for the anthems. A welcome blast of “Flower of Scotland” … and now Mitchell, in the stands, joins in with a rendition of “God Save the King”. Oliver Packer, Marlie’s son, is one of the mascots.
“I’ve heard parts of the written media say this is an experimental side,” says the man himself, Mitchell, on the BBC of his selection. “I think that’s somewhat disrespectful to this group. It’s a very athletic selection. Marlie Packer is one of the more experienced players … she’ll certainly ‘put her head in the spokes’ and take the team forward.”
“It’s always interesting,” the former England Women head coach Simon Middleton says on the BBC, of Mitchell’s rotation policy. “I’d have done it differently. John certainly does it his way. He doesn’t seem to have any issues whatsoever, rolling the squad for whatever game it is. That’s because he’s got great confidence in his players.”
Packer remains ‘invaluable’: Ward
The former England captain Marlie Packer remains an “invaluable” asset as she prepares for only her second appearance of this year’s Women’s Six Nations.
The veteran Saracens flanker was stripped of the captaincy ahead of the championship and left out of John Mitchell’s squad for wins over Wales and Ireland in rounds two and three.
Having started the tournament opener against Italy, the 2023 world player of the year has been recalled among nine changes for the clash with Scotland at Welford Road.
Red Roses head coach Mitchell has been trialling different combinations before this year’s home World Cup, with Zoe Aldcroft, who replaced Packer as skipper in January, the only player selected to start all four fixtures. England lock Abbie Ward believes long-term international teammate Packer, 35, continues to make a big impact on and off the pitch.
“I don’t think there was ever really like a demotion; Marlie’s a fantastic leader and always will be, whether she’s wearing that armband or not,” said Bristol player Ward.
“Even if she’s not on pitch, she brings her experience. Often you speak about the energy that she has and that ferocity but she also has this other side where she brings a calmness to the squad because she’s been there, she’s done that, she’s been in tough games, she’s been on the sides of huge wins and also losses, and I think that’s just invaluable to us.
“But then when she’s got the shirt and she’s playing, she brings that animal, that’s when she brings that ferocity, that’s when she brings the energy, the aggression that we need and we feed off as a team. Whether she’s playing or not playing, she’s doing what she’s always done, which is trying to elevate the entire squad.” (PA Media)
France have gone top of the table with four wins out of four, after beating Italy earlier, but England will retake top spot with a win here. The Red Roses’ points difference is +132 while France’s is +78.
Sarah Rendell
Two years ago the criticism levelled at England was that their attack was predictable as they relied on their maul to get them over the line. When John Mitchell took over the Red Roses before the 2024 Six Nations, the head coach and his staff, particularly the attack coach, Lou Meadows, diversified that area of their game.
Team news
Continuity or experimentation? England have certainly opted for the latter. John Mitchell makes nine changes with Jade Shekells given her first start, at inside-centre, while Marlie Packer lines up at openside flanker. Maddie Feaunati is back in at No 8 with the captain Zoe Aldcroft again at No 6, the only player to start all four matches in the tournament. Rosie Galligan, Sarah Bern and Kelsey Clifford also return to England’s starting XV.
The Scotland captain, Rachel Malcolm, misses out with concussion and the head coach Bryan Easson has made two changes: Jade Konkel comes in at No 8 and Caity Mattinson assumes scrum-half duties in the absence of Leia Brebner-Holden, who is also concussed. Evie Gallagher switches to the blindside with Malcolm sidelined.
England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Shekells, MacDonald; Aitchison, L Packer; Clifford, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Galligan, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), M Packer, Feaunati. Replacements: Campbell, Botterman, Muir, Talling, Matthews, Hunt, Rowland, Scarratt.
Scotland: Rollie; Lloyd, Orr, Thomson, McGhie; Nelson (capt), Mattison; Young, Skeldon, Clarke, Bonar, Boyd, Gallagher, McLachlan, Konkel. Replacements: Martin, Bartlett, Poolman, Ferrie, Bell, Clarke, Phillips Scott.
France produced a second-half fightback to beat Italy 34-21 and maintain their 100% record in the Women’s Six Nations, setting up a potential Grand Slam decider against England.
Joanna Grisez’s early try had given France a flying start in Parma, but after French lock Madoussou Fall was sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle, Italy recovered to lead 21-12 at half-time following tries from Vittoria Vecchini, Aura Muzzo and Silvia Turani. Morgane Bourgeois also touched down for the visitors.
France rallied in the second half, going on to secure a bonus point with tries from Romane Ménager and Marine Ménager before the replacement Alexandra Chambon went over in the last minute – with Les Bleues now set for a potential winner-takes-all showdown away to England on April 26. (PA Media)
Preamble
England are three bonus-point wins out of three in this tournament and a potential Grand Slam-decider looms against France next Saturday if today’s match against Scotland in Leicester goes to form. Scotland have not beaten the Red Roses since 1999 and have never defeated them in the Six Nations – they are also depleted by injury and were beaten by Italy last time out. That explains why Scotland are, as kick-off approaches, available at 200-1 to win on one betting website.
For John Mitchell, the England head coach, this tournament is about striking a balance. He wants to try new lineups and partnerships before the Women’s Rugby World Cup this summer but establishing a settled side, and giving them a chance to fine-tune and groove those partnerships, should also be a top priority. As of course is winning more silverware.
England will expect to win, and win well, but they’ve been tested at times in this year’s tournament. Accuracy, fluency and execution will be their aim.
Kick-off: 4.45pm BST.
