England player ratings vs Scotland | 2024 Guinness Women's Six Nations
England player ratings live from Hive Stadium: It was an afternoon where the weather was four seasons piled into one, but the greasy/windy/rainy/sunny elements didn’t throw a massive spanner in the works of John Mitchell’s England, who notched a 46-0 win that leaves them another step closer to sealing a sixth Six Nations title in succession.
Head coach Mitchell explained post the round two success over Wales in Bristol that this campaign’s mission was to expand the England playbook and finesse their different ways of playing. This all-encompassing approach produced some teething difficulties and reduced winning margins against Italy and Wales compared to 2023.
It was marginally similar here in Edinburgh. Fifty-one points was the gap last year, England winning 58-7 in Newcastle, and it was 52 two in 2022 – 57-5 – when the countries previously clashed at the Hive.
Here, their eight-try triumph only had a 46-point margin, the inclement weather hampering the English attack, which also suffered from too many turnovers. There was also a swathe of penalties given up, while Scotland deserved kudos for their nuisance breakdown work.
All this combined to delay the English from bagging the four-try bonus until the 44th minute, and the visitors then suffered the red-carding of hooker Amy Cokayne 11 minutes later, as a yellow-carded shoulder to the head contact followed her first-half foul play where she lifted an opponent over the horizontal in a tackle.
England did get off to a flyer with early tries from Cokayne and Abby Dow but they then had scores for Jess Breach and Maud Muir disallowed, the latter due to Cokayne’s sin-binned tackle in the build-up.
The slender 0-10 gap and the advantage of an extra player for the next 10 minutes roused the capacity 7,000-plus home crowd, but a converted Ellie Kildunne try scuppered their chance to strike back and it gave the visitors a 17-point interval lead.
That was crucial, and four second-half minutes were all England needed for Sadia Kabeya to score the bonus point try.
A brace from Breach followed either side of the permanent exit of Cokayne, and Mitchell’s team then closed out the fixture with scores from the classy Kildunne and no-nonsense sub Marlie Packer.
Here are the England player ratings from Edinburgh with Ireland next up at Twickenham next Saturday:
15. Ellie Kildunne – 8
Too frantic at times in Bristol, she illustrated here why she has the potential to be a world-class Rugby World Cup standout next year with her alert defence and silky attack. There was an acrobatic, gather-and-rollover finish for her 34th-minute score, and then her intelligence was evident when generating the two-on-one for her 65th-minute walk-in.
14. Abby Dow – 7
Picked up where she left off at Ashton Gate, showcasing her ability to exploit space with an 11th-minute finish out wide. Was eager for involvement, as seen in her switching wings to give Breach the assist on 52 minutes.
13. Megan Jones – 7.5
Would have cursed her knock-on that denied Breach a first-half score, but she reacted positively and her football-style right-footed pass inside to set up the Kildunne try was supreme. Very tidy 72-minute effort.
Dow ? Kildunne ?
A second try for the fullback ? @RedRosesRugby #GuinnessW6N #SCOENG pic.twitter.com/jDZg3gUL8e
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 13, 2024
12. Tatyana Heard – 7
Her defence came to the fore more in her 65 minutes as she finished the opening half joint top of the English tackle count and she continued on from there to ensure her team ‘nilled’ the Scots.
11. Jess Breach – 7.5
Was left disappointed that her 25th-minute try was cancelled due to a knock-on inside her, but she remained patient and finished with two lovely taken scores in a seventh-minute second-half spell. Her footwork for her second after securing a loose Scottish kick was electric.
10. Holly Aitchison – 7
Her struggles off the kicking in Bristol continued here, although the filthy wind was a serious factor. Other than that, she played her role well, producing numerous well-timed interventions with actions such as the smart kick behind the defence for the third try and then her running around Heard for the fifth with a scrum penalty advantage.
9. Natasha Hunt – 7.5
Impressive work rate on a day where the conditions could have been very problematic. Showed she was on her game with the swift way she tidied up a loose ball that squirted from a maul in the lead-up to the opening try. Tackled well as well in the traffic throughout her 65 minutes.
WINTER HASN'T GONE AWAY: The April conditions in Edinburgh turned horrible for the England national anthem. #GuinnessW6N #SCOvENG #rugby #ScottishRugby #EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/Cv97WVN2Lv
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 13, 2024
1. Hannah Botterman – 8
The pick of the forwards during her 57 minutes. It wasn’t just her set-piece that caught the eye, she was greedy for ball carrying and was involved in several scores. Also lit up the crowd with her 22nd-minute intercept, break, and kick. Okay, it shanked into touch but it was the type of exciting moment that got a great reaction.
2. Amy Cokayne – 2.5
Celebrated her first Test appearance in 12 months with a lovely seventh-minute step to opening the scoring, but her performance was ruined by a pair of unnecessary yellow carded tackles which left her red-carded with 25 minutes remaining.
3. Maud Muir – 7
Can’t be happy with the 22nd-minute scrum penalty conceded on an England put-in, but she was otherwise a fine set-piece operator whose willingness to carry a great asset for her team
4. Rosie Galligan – 6
Player of the match in round two, this was a contrasting 58-minute performance that ended with England needing to get the sub hooker when reduced to 14 players. Her frustrations were best summed by the botched first-half pass straight into touch when the score was 17-0.
5. Abbie Ward – 6.5
Promoted from the Ashton Gate bench, the star of a brand new RugbyPass TV documentary had one of those afternoons that was all about the unseen work in the trenches.
6. Zoe Aldcroft – 7
Switched from second row to skipper the side in place of the benched Packer, she shrugged off a soft knock-on less than 90 seconds in to play a captain’s part across her 80 minutes. Topped her team’s tackle count and kept them composed when down to 14 for 10 first-half minutes and again when a player short for the closing 25 minutes of the second.
7. Sadia Kabeya – 7.5
A lovely 60-minute effort from a very mobile player. Super footwork and pass put Dow in for her early score, and she was rewarded later by dotting down the bonus point try off the back of a dominant scrum.
8. Alex Matthews – 7.5
Another whose display was very positive, being dynamic in the carry while also defensively robust when required.
First phase perfection from @RedRosesRugby ?@JessBreach extends their lead out wide ?#GuinnessW6N #SCOENG pic.twitter.com/4hUXRL1I8b
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 13, 2024
Replacements:
It wasn’t until two minutes after the red card, with the score at 29-0, that England made their first switch, sending on their entire sub front row whose first contribution wasn’t great as they conceded a penalty at the scrum.
The other two forward subs were introduced on the hour, with Packer finishing nicely on 73 minutes. The first backs alterations were Lucy Packer and Zoe Harrison on 65 with Sydney Gregson following seven minutes later.
Comments on RugbyPass
Great to see more community spending leading to higher participation in the community. It's a long road but that's a good first step.
1 Go to commentsPoetic justice for trying to sell him to Australia as another kiwi saviour coach, not ! Deans was just as bad actually but McCaw and Carter covered up for him. That’s why they didn’t want him as All Black coach, even after Graeme Henry’s bumbling effort in 2007.
2 Go to commentsSACK HIM !
2 Go to commentsSafas are so triggered by Ireland. 3 consecutive losses, incl RWC. 8 losses out of last 12 Tests. Always excuses, of course, with Bok fans. Now Rassie with his “88%” nonsense, the Claytons Excuse is an embarrassment to Bok teams of the past when every test mattered. Their fickle mojo will be on edge for the Ireland tour. Have the referees been appointed yet ? They will need security. Have WR laid out strict guidelines for TMO’s and replays on the stadium screens ? Will the constant stoppages from Bok forwards for cramps and bootlaces be tolerated ? We’re not talking a dominant Springbok team here, they won the LOTTO Cup and they know it whether they admit it or not. The Disney doco has their fans positively fermenting internally, its going to be a nasty hangover if they get beaten on home soil. What will the excuses be then……
92 Go to commentsGreat role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
92 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
92 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
92 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
92 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
92 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
92 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
92 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
92 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
92 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to comments