Eight-try England march on as Wales see progress stall -

Win illustrates Red Roses' Women's Six Nations dominance

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE

Another edition of one of rugby's great rivalries and another illustration that the gap between the best and the rest in the Women's Six Nations remains huge. It is now three years since Wales matched England by funding a professional programme but a great chasm remains between the two sides, the class of this championship simply too fast, too strong and too good.

If last week’s round one win in Italy was scrappy and scratchy, this was more like the Red Roses side that have dominated this tournament for so long, varied and venomous throughout. The hope was that Wales could build on an outstanding first 20 minutes last year in Cardiff that saw them outplay their English visitors, but this felt like a step back, despite a narrower final margin. Ioan Cunningham was not helped by a smattering of late injury-enforced changes, yet the Wales coach will have been disappointed not to have seen his side produce a better showing for those making the short hop across the Severn.

That travelling contingent helped bolster a crowd that totalled 19,705, a record for a Red Roses home fixture away from Twickenham. There are understandable worries that England’s dominance will eventually prove a limiting factor on the continuing growth of crowds, but for now, it seems, the paying public are perfectly happy to see the hosts win.