The anticipations and speculations that the team is a front-runner in the Rugby World Cup could only take them so far; the Red Roses had to prove themselves in the field.
Having opened their campaign with an overwhelming display against the USA in front of the biggest audience ever to witness an opening match in a women’s World Cup, the host country more than proved their credentials to host a World Cup and live up to the hype they have created about winning the World Cup.
That the game was by no means their best is a thing that makes their subsequent antagonists tremble. The outstanding performance of the team was the work of Hannah Botterman, the prop, and Megan Jones, the centre.
The Red Roses’ clean respective dirty zones were mainly as a result of handling errors, though the hosts had a command of the scrum time, which sometimes took them out of prison.
Nothing could get in their way once their attack had got underway, with Botterman’s deft line running in the first half the best try of the side.
But Sunderland had been vocalising all day in anticipation previous to a ball being thrown. England fans wore cowboy hats and scarves, whilst followers of the USA wore hotdog costumes as they moved towards the stadium.
Its caps have been referred to as the caps made famous by Ellie Kildunne and Jones, with the 42,723 spectators having to wait until the 35th minute to see Kildunne scoring her first try and watching Jones celebrate the attempt with her own personal moment.
The announcement of the line-ups, especially the blackline, produced a deafening cheer in response to USA outside centre Ilona Maher, who has the biggest fan base on social media, but the crowd also went wild when England forward Kildunne was named.
The ceremony had a celebrity opening, with pop star Anne-Marie amongst the crowd, but it was clear who the rugby star was
The first actions of skirmishes between the two teams were prevented during the cautious first few minutes.
On the first set piece punch by the hosts, England had the chance to score a scrum penalty, a simple grab and drive converted Sadia Kabeya, the first scorer in this World Cup.
The next attempt was a specimen of rugby skill. Abby Dow made a terrific recovery, collecting a kick that flew across the field by Jones, and Botterman made a magnificent drive, splitting the defence as exemplified by the roar of the prop.
The final will be at Twickenham, which will be filled. Such contests could radically alter the sport. The Red Roses are the odds-on favourites to do so; they have a record in their last 91 matches of 87 wins, and they have not lost since their defeat to the Black Ferns in the previous tournament final.
