England break record to set up France semi-final

Torrential rain and blustery conditions meant there was no champagne rugby on display in Bristol, but the occasion more than lived up to the hype with a sold-out Ashton Gate cheering England to a comfortable win against Scotland to book their spot in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals, where they will face France.

- Sarah Rendell

Some had worried the conditions may have seen some supporters not turn out, but the doubters were proved wrong with the stands full to the brim to witness the Red Roses break their own world record of consecutive wins as the victory took them to 31 in a row.

The quarter-final also proved to be the hottest ticket in town with the USA player Ilona Maher returning after watching Canada's win against Australia on Saturday and the former England goalkeeper Mary Earps was also in the stands.

The players had to play the conditions in front of them, which led to lulls in the game with handling errors littered throughout, but there were good performances on display. The prop Kelsey Clifford started in place of Hannah Botterman and she backed up her two tries from last weekend with another double, while it was also a special day for Abby Dow as she scored her 50th try for England, becoming just the sixth Red Rose to do so.

Scotland's time in this competition came to a close with the defeat, but it also underlined the end of an era for the team. It was the last game for the head coach, Bryan Easson, and the No 8 Jade Konkel announced her international retirement before the quarter-final.