HEAD coach Gary Street admitted he would have to make tough selection calls after Marlie Packer’s two tries helped England to a 45-5 defeat of Spain in the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Yeovil’s Packer was one of 12 changes to the team that demolished Samoa in their group opener and the flanker responded with a dazzling display on full competition debut at Marcoussis.
The 2010 defeated finalists led 17-0 at the break and moved to 31-0 to the good before Packer powered past five tackles to cross.
Spain responded with their first points only for Wasps Ladies’ Packer to have the last say following good work from the pack.
Emily Scarratt had an afternoon to remember with the boot, adding a flawless 15 points. England now play Canada at the same venue on Saturday as Pool A’s strongest teams lock horns in their final first stage games.
Street said: “We had a plan going into these first two games – we wanted to give everyone a chance and we wanted to see all 26 players in action.
“I thought that we started quite slowly today but we knew that we would have to be patient, and that proved to be the case. Space eventually came our way and we got ourselves into some good positions.
“It’s great to have a kicking option like Emily Scarratt. I’ve seen a lot of a kicking performances from women over the years, but that was one of, if not the, best I’ve ever seen. To get seven from seven in the pressure of a World Cup is a testament to her character.
“Looking ahead to Canada, we have some fresh legs who will come into contention, but there will be some tough calls to make ahead of what promises to be a very difficult game.â€
Article source: http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/233857.html
Women"s Rugby World Cup: England"s Gary Street left with tough selection ...
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