England are conditioned to go 'route one' again

ENGLAND have vowed to continue exploiting their forward dominance if it offers the best route to victory in tomorrow's Women's World Cup semifinal against France at Ashton Gate.

- By DUNCAN BECH

Head coach John Mitchell and prop Hannah Botterman insist the Red Roses will have no hesitation in capitalising on the strength of their maul and scrum after pulverising Scotland in driving rain last weekend.

Of the 38 tries England have scored in their four World Cup matches to date, 22 have been supplied by their all-conquering pack. Mitchell makes no apologies for the direct approach, declaring “I don't really care what other people think", but says his team possess a variety of tools to get the job done.

“We've demonstrated over the last three years we can play any particular way,” he said ahead of the showdown in Bristol, where light showers have been forecast.