Red Roses begin new era in style

MARLIE Packer hailed the dawn of a new era after England eased past Australia in their WXV opener in Wellington

- PAUL EDDISON

New head coach John Mitchell joined up with the team on Thursday after his role with Japan’s men’s team ended at the Rugby World Cup pool stage, and watched England romp to an impressive win.

It was the first opportunity for the Red Roses to play on New Zealand soil since their heartbreaking World Cup final defeat to the Black Ferns a year ago, and they were comfortable, scoring six tries in all.

The launch of WXV – a new international competition designed to revolutionise the women’s rugby landscape – gives the world’s number one side a chance to cement their status at the top of the world rankings, in spite of falling just short last year.

On their way to the final, they had knocked off the Wallaroos 41-5, and almost exactly 12 months on, it was a near-identical margin of victory, although Packer fell just short of the hat-trick she managed in that quarter-final.