Women's Six Nations, Italia vs Galles, April 2023.

Georgia Wells

England saw a promising start in the first round of the 2024 Women’s Six Nations, as they beat Italy 48-0 in sunny Parma.

Despite an early red card for Sarah Beckett in the 11th minute of the match, England finished victorious.

England’s Captain Marlie Packer lead the defeat against Italy, with this match signifying her 100th international cap for England. Meanwhile, Saracens’ prop Kelsey Clifford made her first Test start for England.

While England’s performance was by no means perfect, it remained dominant, with Packer’s team scoring a total of eight tries against the Italians.

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A Slow First Half For The Red Roses

The first half saw England struggling to get into their groove, made worse by an early red card given to Sarah Beckett for a dangerous crocodile roll against Michela Sillari.

A first-try attempt was made by England’s Abbie Ward in the 16th minute of the game, but after a second review, it was disallowed due to double movement.

However, England were hungry for points. With ten minutes until the second half, Hannah Botterman gave England their first taste of triumph as she ploughed through the Italian defensive line.

With halftime approaching, Ward was able to quickly secure England their second try – an impressive international comeback following the birth of her daughter.

Despite having to make do with only fourteen players, England entered the second half 10-0.

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Eight Tries Against Italy In The Second Half

“John Mitchell’s team took charge of the second half, scoring a further six tries against Italy.”

Four minutes after halftime, Marlie Packer touched down England’s third try, after a polished line out and a strong maul.

Full-back Ellie Kildunne followed up with an incredible fast break, weaving and stepping her way through a weak Italian defensive line and scoring under the posts. This was unsurprising given Kildunne has beaten the most defenders in Premiership Women’s Rugby this season.

This try resulted in Harrison’s first successful conversion of the game, bringing the score to 22-0 for England. Just before the hour, Holly Aitchison ‘The Architect’ popped the ball off to Helena Rowland who accelerated to the try line, putting England another five points ahead.

Following another quick and effortless attack from England, Mackenzie Carson made it a sixth try for England.

With twelve minutes remaining in the game, Rowland received a yellow card for dangerous head contact in a ruck, which saw England down to 13 players. But this did not faze England, as Kildunne went over for her second try with nine minutes left of the game, bringing the score to 41-0.

John Mitchell’s team took charge of the second half, scoring a further six tries against Italy.

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The concluding eighth try for England was finally scored as the clock turned red. This time it was from Powell, who touched the ball down at the base of another powerful rolling maul. 

Captain Packer admitted some “soft errors” meant England did not reach their full potential. However, England still gave a dominant and cohesive performance, showcasing their skill, experience and strength despite playing the majority of the game with a man down.

Will England’s Winning Streak Continue?

Since Italy’s defeat, Round Two has seen England defeat the Welsh by 49-10.

Although this may seem another comfortable victory for England, their rivals continue to improve and put up an even stronger fight against the Red Roses.

Notably, England beat Italy 68-5 and Wales 59-3 last year in the Women’s Six Nations. We’ve already witnessed improvements across the teams in the tournament, and as the scorelines against England creep ever closer, it will likely become harder for England to defend their Grand Slam reputation.

Looking ahead, Round Three of the tournament commences on Saturday 13th April, with England set to play Scotland at 2pm. But England’s top competitor is France, whom they are yet to play until the final round, so all is still to play for.

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Featured image courtesy of Stefano Delfrate via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

I'm a final year Criminal Justice and Criminology student at the University of Leeds. After university I hope to pursue a career in journalism. I am passionate about tackling injustice, social and political policy, and human rights.

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