England crush Scots to set up France semi

ENGLAND'S forwards bulldozed a path into the World Cup semifinals with a wet-weather masterclass underpinning a 40-8 victory at Ashton Gate.

- By DUNCAN BECH

The Red Roses will meet France for a place in the final after registering a 31st successive victory with a dominant performance that confirmed their status as tournament favourites.

Scotland were pulverised at the scrum as part of a one-sided battle up front and were prevented from venturing outside their own territory for much of the second half as the promising signs seen during the group stage quickly became a distant memory.

Natasha Hunt and Holly Aitchison provided England with intelligent direction at halfback, particularly Aitchison who marked her first start of the tournament following an ankle injury by showing the variety in her game.