By Kath 5/9/06
September 5 2006

England Women Rugby World Cup. England ladies romp through against South Africa in Canada, with a 12 try fest. Captain Sue Day led the way with four tries.

England racked up an impressive 12 tries to see off South Africa and pick up a bonus point victory in round two of the IRB Rugby World Cup at Ellerslie Park in Edmonton, Canada today.    

England 74 South Africa 8

Captain Sue Day led by example with four tries, while Worcester’s prolific try scorer Nicky Crawford grabbed a brace of tries. There were also touch downs for Shelley Rae, Rochelle Clark, Rachel Burford, Selena Rudge, Jo Yapp and Charlotte Barras. Rae also enjoyed another impressive afternoon with the boot, slotting home seven conversions to bring her personal haul to 19 points.

South Africa were no push-overs though in the opening stages of the game with the newcomers to the Rugby World Cup continuingly putting the reigning Six Nations Grand Slam champions under pressure. England’s cause, however, was greatly improved with some early points on the board from Crawford after just four minutes. The move started with a cleanly taken line-out and a powerful driving maul which saw Wasps prop Vanessa Huxford break free and make space up-field, setting loose winger Crawford. Rae added the first of her seven conversions to help establish an early seven point cushion.

Crawford was again on the scoreboard just 21 minutes later with her second effort, despite more pressure from the Boks. In fact they were in possession, but England turned them over and took control with Saracens flanker Helen Clayton blasting free. Her club and country teammate Maggie Alphonsi, on the field as a blood replacement, then picked up to off-load to Shannon Baker before Crawford got her hands on the ball to add another five points to the board again. Rae converted to put England 14-0 up.

On 40 minutes winger Day grabbed the first of her four tries thanks to a stolen line-out ball which the backs spread out-wide, before she then eased her through the Springboks’ defence. Rae converted, but the 2002 Rugby World Cup finalists’ charge didn’t stop there with Rae this time adding her own try on the brink of half-time to hand England a 26-0 lead.     The one way traffic continued after the restart with the England pack on top and causing constant problems for South Africa in the tackle and breakdown areas. Day, too, started where she had left off this time executing a lovely line to score a simple touchdown just six minutes in.

Henley prop Clark then claimed her second try of the World Cup tournament following her touchdown against the USA last week. Wasps scrum-half Amy Turner, enjoying an impressive outing in the number nine jersey, got the move flowing with a quick tap penalty deep into South Africa’s territory. The forwards carried the move on with the experienced duo of Huxford and Clayton, who have nearly 150 caps between them, setting up Clark who muscled her way over the line. Rae added the conversion to put England 38-0 up.

The Springboks finally broke their deadlock on the 53rd minute with a Marijke Nel penalty, but their run was short-lived with Day once again grabbing the spot-light with a third try before 20-year-old centre Burford, making her England debut, powered her way over the line thanks to some more good work from Turner at scrum-half.

South Africa hit back when a lacklustre start from the kick-off for England gave them possession. England’s rivals made the most of their opportunities with flanker Wendy Khumalo breaking the try-line for the Boks’ first try, though a fourth and final touchdown from Day just minutes later, converted by Rae, soon cancelled out South Africa’s efforts.

A well worked line-out, catch and drive manoeuvre saw Wasps hooker Selena Rudge claim England’s 10th try and she was soon joined on the scoreboard by Worcester number nine Jo Yapp, who came off the bench. Lichfield’s Charlotte Barras, playing at full-back, then finished off England’s day in the office with an 82nd minute converted try.

England head coach Geoff Richards said: “It’s great to get another win under our belts. We were a bit slow getting into the game but I think that was down to a little bit of anxiousness early doors, but we settled in and we played some good rugby to get a bonus point win.  “South Africa really stuck at it today and they worked hard. The hot weather also made it difficult, but we stuck to our task and we performed well. The girls are always looking for the perfect game and they kept going until that final whistle which is just great to see because every member of this squad is so professional.”

England captain and Wasps player Sue Day said: “This game was obviously very different to playing the US last week. It was still very physical, but it was much more of a free running game. I think we were a lot more fluid today – the first game is always about blowing away a few cobwebs – and it was nice to get the ball in hand a bit more.   “Our job was made even harder by the weather. It was very hot but we pulled together as a team. In any game we play we never give up, even when we have a lot of points on the board. Once we are on the pitch we give it everything we’ve got so there is never any holding back. It is all about winning all the games.  Being captain for the day and getting four tries as well I’m very pleased with but when the winger scores it’s because everyone else has done their bit. We certainly got more patterns together today as well as the set-play and that made a big difference. There are still a few more things to work on, but we are really pleased.”

England Women: 1 Vanessa Huxford   (Wasps), 2 Selena Rudge   (Wasps), 3 Vanessa Gray (Wasps), 4 Jenny Lyne (Richmond), 5 Tamara Taylor  (Thirsk), 6 Shannon Baker (Richmond), 7 Helen Clayton (VC) (Saracens), 8 Georgia Stevens    (Clifton), 9 Amy Turner          (Wasps), 10 Shelley Rae (Wasps), 11 Sue Day (Captain) (Wasps), 12 Rachel Burford (Henley), 13 Michaela Staniford (Henley), 14 Nicola Crawford, (Worcester), 15 Charlotte Barras (Lichfield). Replacements: 16 Amy Garnett (Saracens), 17 Rochelle Clark (Henley), 18 Jennifer Sutton          (Richmond), 19 Margaret Alphonsi (Saracens), 20 Danielle Waterman (Henley), 21 Jo Yapp (Worcester), 22 Kim Oliver (Clifton)

Substitutions: Yapp on for Turner (11, blood), Alphonsi on for Stevens (19, blood), Alphonsi on for Clayton (blood, 32), Clark on for Gray (40), Waterman on for Day (69), Sutton on for Lyne (69), Yapp on for Turner (69), Garnett on for Rudge (74) Alphonsi on for Stevens (74).

South Africa:  1 Louise Du Pisanie , 2 Babalwa Vena, 3 Cebisa Kula, 4 Dolly Mavumengwana,  5 Wendy Adlem, 6 Wendy Khumalo, 7 Nadine Barnard, 8 Mandisa Willams, 9 Saloma Booysen, 10 Marie-Lee Erasmus, 11 Natasha Hofmeester, 12 Zolisa Noxeke, 13 Ingrid Botha (C), 14 Yolanda Meiring, 15 Marijke Nel. Replacements: 16 Sipokazi Jonga, 17 Ramona Brown, 18 Marie Schoeman, 19 Namhia Siyolo, 20 Lamla Momoti, 21 Fundiswa Plaatjie, 22 Zandile Nojoko 

England now face old rivals France, who they beat 28-0 in this year’s Six Nations, in a crucial clash on

Friday at St. Albert’s Park on Friday September 8th, kick-off 12am BST.