Player comparisons: England put on quarter-final clinic against Scotland

England will play France for a spot in the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final, with the Red Roses defeating Scotland 40-8 at Bristol’s Ashton Gate. Scotland struck first through Helen Nelson, but it was one-way traffic from there.

Nelson converted a penalty in the third minute, with the Scots appearing supremely confident during the first 10 minutes or so, but then it was all England. Kelsey Clifford scored the opener before the Red Roses extended their lead with another three first-half tries.

As rain poured down from the heavens, the Red Roses walked off the field and down the tunnel at Ashton Gate with a 26-3 lead. It was more of the same after the break, with Amy Cokayne adding to England’s strong lead with a try a few minutes into the second term.

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Holly Aitchison scored England’s next 10 points. Yet Scotland kept fighting, and they had the final say in this quarter-final, with Rhona Lloyd fighting to the try line in the 81^st minute. But England will take a wealth of confidence out of this match heading into the semi-finals.

Knockout

11 - 12

Final

6 - 44

SF1

15 - 16

SF2

17 - 29

QF1

24 - 28

QF2

30 - 24

QF3

28 - 29

QF4

Front row – Advantage England
England’s front row trio were dominant in their positional battles with the Scots. Kelsey Clifford, Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir all made their mark, while inaccuracies at the set-piece unfortunately overshadowed Scotland’s brave performance.

Lana Skeldon threw the ball into seven Scottish lineouts during the opening 30 minutes of play, but only three hit the mark. Two of those wayward throws ultimately led to Clifford and Morwenna Talling scoring first half tries, as England made those opportunities count.

After surviving some impressive attacking play from Scotland during the first 10 minutes, the front row of England helped turn the tide. Clifford crashed over the opener, and the loosehead completed a double just before the break after running a brilliant line off Natasha Hunt.

Cokayne made more tackles than anyone else during the first half, while Clifford also featured in the top three for that statistic. Their front row teammate Muir was also up there with the elite, marking an impressive opening 40 from the three up front.

While there weren’t many scrums, England made their mark when the opposing front-rows went head-to-head during the first half. They won the ball on Scotland’s feed, and a penalty advantage was indicated before the backs kicked the ball downfield.

Scotland’s trio of Leah Bartlett, Skeldon and Christine Belisle didn’t make the same impact on either side of the ball. With England’s bench coming on making a difference as well, there’s no doubt the tournament hosts claim the advantage in this positional battle.

Second row – Advantage England
Sarah Bonar won a pilfer penalty in the ninth minute which seemed to give Scotland yet another boost of confidence during a strong start. But in tough conditions, this quarter-final took a turn at the lineout that followed.

Scotland hooker Lana Skeldon couldn’t find a target at the lineout, and it didn’t take England too long to make the visitors pay for that mistake on the scoreboard. Loosehead prop Kelsey Clifford scored England’s first points soon after, the rest of the half was one-way traffic.

That was a turning point, but the set-piece wasn’t where this match was won for the English, or the reason why Scotland lost. England’s locks were both quite brilliant, with Morwenna Talling standing out as one of the team’s best.

Talling returned to the second row for this quarter-final, partnering Rosie Galligan, and the lock was one of the game’s best during the first half in particular. The No. 4 scored a try and topped the charts for carries, while Galligan was also ranked among the elite for total runs.

Emma Wassell was a workhorse in defence for the Scots, and Bonar stood tall with some solid involvements at the set-piece, but this was England’s day at the World Cup. Their second row duo of Talling and Galligan played a big role in the team’s run to the final four.

Back row – Advantage England
England ran away with a comfortable win at Ashton Gate but Evie Gallagher still shone brightly despite the result from a Scottish perspective. Gallagher just didn’t stop running, with the flanker recording the equal-most carries out of any player by the 50^th minute.

Rachel Malcolm and Jade Konkel also had their moments, but Gallagher was a clear standout from Scotland’s back row performance. That said, England’s loose forwards were still able to have a more significant impact as a unit.

Zoe Aldcroft returned to the Test arena for the first time since England’s opening-round win over the USA in Sunderland. Aldcroft was particularly impactful on the defensive side of the ball, finishing in double digits for tackles completed.

Openside flanker Sadia Kabeya was right up there as one of the game’s top-tacklers, while Alex Matthews did damage in attack. It was a destructive, difference-making and game-defining performance from England’s world-class back row.

Halfbacks – Advantage England
If we’re picking a ‘dream team’ from this particular case, there’s a conversation to be had about whether one player from each side should feature in the halves. Natasha Hunt was superb for England at scrum-half, while Scotland’s Helen Nelson also performed well.

Hunt just seemed to be everywhere at the Bristol venue. The No. 9 even cleaned up a loose ball to force a defensive goal-line drop-out in the 21^st minute, and registered a try assist for Kelsey Clifford just before the half-time break.

Alongside halves partner Holly Aitchison, Hunt helped guide the team around the park with quick passing and sharp decision-making. This continued into the second half, before the scrum-half received a well-earned rest and was replaced.

Aitchison was also fairly solid, but started the match with a cross-field kick in the eighth minute which flew into touch. That didn’t define Aitchison’s performance though, with the playmaker contributing to some exciting attacking play and scoring one try.

But Nelson was Scotland’s best. Nelson had made the most tackles out of any Scotland player by the 60^th minute, and the fly-half also topped the charts along with Evie Gallagher for carries with 11 by that stage.

With England’s replacement halves coming on and making their mark, it wouldn’t be fair to say that they don’t get the advantage in this positional battle – but it’s close. Hunt and Aitchison contributed to a big England win, and the Red Roses deserve praise for that.

Centres – Advantage England
When Megan Jones was replaced with about 10 minutes left, the Bristol crowd let out a massive cheer for the Red Roses centre. Jones finished with eight carries for 24 metres, having entertained the crowd with some scintillating play.

It was a similar story for Tatyana Heard, with the inside centre leaving the match in the 60^th minute after a fair performance. England’s midfield pairing were made to work hard, but ultimately combined for a better performance compared to Scotland’s centres.

Emma Orr was one of the game’s top tacklers, so the Scottish outside centre deserves plenty of praise for those continued efforts on the defensive side of the ball. Lisa Thomson also made more tackles than most players on Sunday in Bristol.

With Thomson also recording a line break, and carrying the ball for 20 metres, there are some positives to take out of this match for Scotland’s midfield pairing. But with England running away with such a dominant win, the Red Roses had the advantage in the centre battle.

Back three – Advantage England
Abby Dow was brilliant for the Red Roses, with the winger reaching a try-scoring milestone in this clash, and that’s not all. Jess Breach had a good game as well, and Helena Rowland stepped up in the place of Ellie Kildunne.

Dow scored her 50^th international try for England with an effort in the 30^th minute. That was the highlight from what was a headline-grabbing performance, with Dow running for more than 75 metres – about 30 metres more than any other player by the 60^th minute.

Breach had the second-most carries out of any player by that stage of the Test with 44, and Rowland wasn’t too far behind in fourth with 38. All three outside backs looked comfortable and did their jobs in tough conditions at Ashton Gate.

Francesa McGhie had some promising involvements, but the try-scoring machine wasn’t able to make a difference on the scoreboard. Rhona Lloyd was unusually quiet before scoring in the 81^st minute, and Chloe Rollie wasn’t able to make a similar impact compared to Rowland.