Red Roses beat Ireland in Women's Six Nations opener
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The Red Roses extended their winning run to 34 matches by beating Ireland 33-12 in their Women’s Six Nations opener.
In front of a competition record crowd of 77,120, Sarah Bern scored twice following Amy Cokayne’s opener in the first half, with Jess Breach and Ellie Kildunne crossing after the break to secure the victory.
Anna McGann and Erin King scored late tries for Ireland but England had done enough to ensure they will head north to Scottish Gas Murrayfield next week with a win under their belts.
The starting XV showed eight changes to the side which last ran out at Allianz Stadium in the World Cup final and the hosts had some defending to do early on, Maddie Feaunati winning a vital turnover inside the English 22 after Ellie Kildunne’s tackle on Brittany Hogan.
Four minutes later, Cokayne got the Red Roses off the mark for 2026 by finishing off a well-rehearsed catch-and-drive routine from a lineout, Helena Rowland converting to open up a 7-0 lead.
Jess Breach came close to stretching the lead when she looked to escape down the right hand side but was denied by a last-ditch tackle. England had a penalty advantage and after setting up camp on the Irish line, Bern burrowed over from close range to open her account, Rowland again adding the extras.
Bern doubled her personal tally shortly afterwards, collecting Claudia Moloney-MacDonald’s offload to power over on the left. Rowland nailed the tricky touchline conversion to make it 21-0.
The bonus-point score almost arrived with the clock in the red at the end of the first half, Meg Jones setting free Kildunne, only for the flying full-back to spill the ball over the line.
England were leading the way in the half time statistics, which showed they had recorded 89 carries to Ireland’s 28 and gained 314 metres to their opponents’ 82.
Early in the second half, 19-year-old Haineala Lutui came on for her Red Roses debut, replacing the injured Morwenna Talling in the second row.
And it did not take long for the bonus point to arrive, with captain Jones playing a key role. She charged down Stacey Flood’s kick, then put boot to ball herself, with Breach winning the race to dot down England’s fourth.
Ireland got on the scoreboard with 16 minutes to play, replacement Anna McGann holding off Moloney-MacDonald to spin and finish in the corner for an unconverted try.
The Red Roses responded instantly, Zoe Harrison spinning a long pass to Kildunne, who stepped outside the last defender and added her name to the scoresheet for an unconverted score.
The final points of the game went the way of the visitors, King pouncing from a couple of metres out after a sustained spell of Irish pressure as the match ended 33-12 in England’s favour.
Player of the Match honours went to Red Roses skipper Jones, who said: “To have this crowd is phenomenal. There were a few nerves but I’m sure we will brush up on that. I’m really proud of the girls, we all fought, dug in and got the victory.
“We are seeing players step up into leadership roles, the likes of Lilli (Ives Campion), Abi Burton, Sadia Kabeya, all dominant players who will have more of a voice now and start owning those roles.”
