Photo via BBC Sport

'Absolute joke' to be worried - Mitchell on England's response

England overcame a rare 10-5 interval deficit to overpower Australia 48-15 in Salford, securing their 39th straight victory to launch the WXV Global Series. Before a crowd of 9,251 at CorpAcq Stadium, the Wallaroos seized an early advantage through Samantha Wood's penalty and conversion along with a Faliki Pohiva score, leaving Abi Burton as the solitary first-half try-scorer for the hosts.

Head coach John Mitchell dismissed concerns regarding the opening deficit as laughable, praising his squad's problem-solving in what served as their 2026-27 season opener. The Red Roses erupted with a 43-point blitz after the break, highlighted by scores from May Campbell, skipper Meg Jones, Bryony Field, Mia Venner, and Sadia Kabeya in a rapid 20-minute surge, alongside later tries by Lucy Packer and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and conversions shared by Holly Aitchison and Zoe Harrison.

5 rugby ball. The redesigned 12-nation tournament runs through 2028 as preparation for the 2029 World Cup in Australia, building upon England's prior triumphs in the 2023 and 2024 WXV1 tournaments.

Having previously captured an eighth consecutive Six Nations crown in May, the reigning world champions now manage a brief turnaround before hosting Canada at Exeter's Sandy Park and subsequently tackling New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on 26 September.