England sweep aside Scotland to reach semi-finals

England (26) 40

Tries: Clifford (2), Talling, Dow, Cokayne, Aitchison Cons: Aitchison (5)

Scotland (3) 8

England swept aside Scotland in Bristol to rack up a record 31st straight Test victory and march into a Rugby World Cup semi-final against France.

Scotland were first on the board through a Helen Nelson penalty, but by half-time England had left a heavier imprint on the scoreline as Kelsey Clifford, twice, and Morwenna Talling barged over in the pouring rain.

Abby Dow also claimed her 50th try in 57 Tests after Holly Aitchison’s slung miss-pass exposed Scotland out wide to give the hosts a 26-3 interval lead.

Amy Cokayne trucked over at the back of a driven line-out and Aitchison darted in as England coasted to victory in the second half.

England’s current winning streak breaks their own record, which was set en route to the Rugby World Cup final in 2022.

Defeat by New Zealand in that match is England’s only loss in their past 62 matches – a statistic that stretches back to 2019.

Scotland’s exit marks the end of number eight Jade Konkel’s Test career after 12 years and 74 caps. The 31-year-old became Scotland’s first professional player in 2016.

There has been uncertainty about how many of Konkel’s team-mates will be able to continue playing rugby as a profession after this tournament, with around half the squad’s deals believed to be nearing the end of their current terms.

Scotland started positively, making the most of the territory gifted to them by an aimless kick by Aitchison and an undercooked clearance by Helena Rowland.

McGhie, coming off her wing, sat down an England forward with sheer velocity, before Evie Gallagher made yards.

Awarded the penalty, central and at short range, Nelson took the points to give her side an early lead after four minutes.

Yet England took little time to bust out of the attempted chokehold. After Rosie Galligan and Meg Jones put England on the front foot, prop Clifford burrowed over for the first try after 12 minutes.

Lana Skeldon’s throw spilled out of the line-out and England gratefully gobbled up the scraps, with Galligan going close before Talling, with Sadia Kabeya bound on to provide some extra horsepower, crossed close to the posts to make it 14-3.

The wet weather was an awkward accompaniment to her playmaking game, but Aitchison, preferred to Zoe Harrison at fly-half, sent a pass out to Dow for the wing’s landmark score.

With usual full-back Ellie Kildunne banging a drum on the bench as part of England’s in-house backing band, Rowland also grew into the game with one sublime running line off Jones taking out Scotland’s Lloyd and Chloe Rollie.

Scotland kept fighting.

And Lloyd dotted down at the end of a sweeping move with the clock in the red to ensure her side registered the final points of the match, having also banked the first.

But England’s deep reserves of quality off the bench meant they could ride out the game in comfort after the break.

Hooker Cokayne, who has seen an earlier similar score wiped out by the television match official, was at the back of trademark driven line-out, while Aitchison, who ended with 15 points, was cleverly put over by an inside ball from replacement Harrison.

Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps, who plays her club football at Paris St-Germain, was among the 25,295 fans at Ashton Gate to see the Lionesses’ rugby union counterparts advance to a meeting with the French.

The final quarter fizzled out as changes and a slippery ball broke up any rhythm to the contest, but there are likely to be fireworks, and a more testing encounter for England, on semi-final weekend.

England: Rowland; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Aitchison, Hunt; Clifford, Cokayne, Muir, Talling, Galligan, Aldcroft (capt), Kabeya, Matthews.

Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Carson, Bern, Ward, Feaunati, Packer, Harrison, Sing.

Scotland: Rollie; Lloyd, Orr, Thomson, McGhie; Nelson, Brebner-Holden; Bartlett, Skeldon, Belisle, Wassell, Bonar, Malcolm (capt), Gallagher, Konkel.