Photo via BBC Sport

'Absolute joke' to be worried - Mitchell on England trailing Australia at half-time

England overcame an uncharacteristic 10-5 deficit at the interval to overpower Australia 48-15 at CorpAcq Stadium in the debut fixture of the WXV Global Series. Facing their first half-time deficit since 2020, the reigning world champions found their rhythm in front of 9,251 spectators, unleashing a seven-try second period to seal their 39th straight victory.

Following an opening half where only player of the match Abi Burton crossed for the hosts alongside a Faliki Pohiva try and Samantha Wood kicks for the visitors, the Red Roses dominated through scores from May Campbell, skipper Meg Jones, Bryony Field, Mia Venner, Sadia Kabeya, Lucy Packer, and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, while Asoiva Karpani grabbed a late Wallaroos response. Zoe Harrison added three conversions alongside a single conversion by Holly Aitchison.

England head coach John Mitchell dismissed any panic over the sluggish opening forty minutes, labeling concerns an absolute joke and praising the workout as an ideal start to their 2026-27 schedule. 5 ball, which is three percent smaller than a size five and had previously drawn sharp criticism from fly-half Harrison.

Looking ahead in the 12-nation tournament structured to build toward the 2029 World Cup in Australia, the Red Roses next take on Canada at Sandy Park before a clash against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on 26 September.