Key events
36 min: It was to check a deliberate knock on but there isn’t anything more given than a penalty. England kick to the corner, I’m guessing a driving maul is incoming.
36 min: England come away with the ball from the scrum, Dow is passed the ball but her pass to M Packer doesn’t stick. We come back to an earlier Wales knock on so England have another shot. Referee Joy Neville is reviewing something here now though, I think for a deliberate knock on?
35 min: Wales knock-on as they force a pass they didn’t necessarily need to make but the hosts are playing superbly this afternoon! England have the scrum.
34 min: Tuipulotu is staying on and England kick upfield. The line-out is good and England’s deadly maul comes into play but wow! Wales defend it well and turn it over. They kick is away with Aitchison kicking too. Dow comes away with it but Wales get it back. I can’t type fast enough to keep up!
33 min: Wales are being really patient here but Aldcroft wins a breakdown penalty! The defence from England so strong there. There’s a break in play as Tuipulotu receives some treatment, she seems okay to continue.
32 min: The line-out is clean and Callender forms a maul. England defend it well and so Wales run it through the phases. The English defence is maintaining for now, can Wales find a way through?
31 min: Lovely, slick rugby from Wales but then they knock-on with Sing starting the move. Aitchison hesitates before she goes into contact and Evans wins the breakdown penalty! Wales kick to the corner and they will be looking to get their lead back.
29 min: Sing showing Middleton that she doesn’t need to kick the conversion closer to the posts with a great kick. England are with the ball again, Aitchison kicks but Keight collects well and now Wales are on the attack.
CONVERTED TRY! Wales 3-7 England (L Packer, 26′)
England have the advantage as Wales are off their feet and Dow goes for the line, she is brought down a metre before the line. L Packer snipes and she is over! Sing gets the conversion.
26 min: There is a lot of talk about this being surprising about Wales having the upperhand but Wales were all over England in the 2022 Women’s Six Nations and it was just in the second half where the Red Roses got the momentum. Wales have had a whole year of professionalism since that match, it could be their day! England are on the attack now though.
25 min: England have a clean scrum and they get it out wide with Dow, Neumann tackles her into touch though to continue Wales’ momentum. They need to clock a few more points to really take the sword to England, a narrow lead could be swallowed up in the second half by England. The Red Roses steal the ball and they are on the attack but England knock-on!
23 min: Wales’ line-out is loose but England knock-on (again) so the hosts are with the ball. They pump the ball in the air and Dow collects well. The visitors are on the hunt but Wales win a breakdown penalty! They kick upfield but Wales knock on.
20 min: Time and time again England have handling errors, even when they dominated every team handling errors have been their Achilles heal. In the 2022 Women’s Six Nations England made a total of 80 across all five games. It’s not a new problem but now Wales are taking advantage. And Wales win the scrum penalty! England are coming undone.
19 min: Oh my word, what an error from L Packer! She knocks on as Matthews passes the ball to her at the back of the scrum. Wales’ pressure so far is getting to England, they are the team with the upper hand now. Wales now have the scrum.
18 min: England use it quickly from the back of the scrum and Heard is steam rolled by Snowsill. They are plucking away and then Wales knock-on with Harries hitting the ball from L Packer’s hands. Another scrum incoming.
16 min: Aitchison kicked a great restart kick and Norkett knocks on a few metres from their line! An England scrum here, a great position.
PENALTY! Wales 3-0 England (Bevan, 15′)
Bevan slots it nicely, first blood goes to Wales and this crowd is bouncing!
14 min: Wales are getting so close, they really deserve the first points they have done absolutely everything so far. M Packer gives away another penalty and Wales have a big call, kick to the corner or points? They point to the sticks, penalty it is.
13 min: England are forced into an early change with O’Donnell off for Beckett, it seems to be for a HIA so O’Donnell could return if she passes it. England kick the goal-line dropout and Wales have it, attacking once again.
13 min: Again and again Wales come through the phases but England’s defence holds strong. And is K Jones over? It looks as though she had struck but M Packer holds her up! Goal-line dropout for England. My heart was pounding throughout that attacking play, what a cracking start to this clash!
12 min: The Welsh line-out is loose but they pick it up at the back and they are edging closer here! Wales lose control of the ball and Bern collects but Wales turn it back over! This game is thrilling so far. Huge moments coming.
11 min: The line-out is good from England but K Jones ripped the ball! Wales have the advantage too as M Packer gives away a penalty, the ball is kicked with Sing collecting so it comes back for the advantage. Bevan kicks to the corner, a great opportunity for the hosts.
9 min: The scrum is reset twice until it’s a clean scrum with Wales coming away with it. But they don’t have the ball for long with England turning it over at the breakdown! Then they get the penalty, Wales hooker Jones holding on. England relieve pressure once more. Wales need to strike when they can.
7 min: Wales are making slow progress as they go through the phases, England’s defence is impressive so far. Aldcroft charges down a kick by Bevan and England have it. They attack but Breach knocks on and its Wales’ scrum.
5 min: The first scrum penalty goes the way of Wales! That front three are impressive this tournament, huge moment and Elinor Snowsill clears their lines. The line-out is good from Wales and they are on the hunt to strike.
3 min: A clean line-out sees Davies throw long and England whip it out wide to Jess Breach who makes great metres! A loose pass in the midfield stutters the attack and Wales’ defence is good! There is a knock-on from a good Georgia Evans tackle, Wales have the first scrum. What a start!
2 min: A poor kick from Holly Aitchison sees Wales with it but referee Joy Neville has been told by the TMO it has been pulled back. Aitchison clears the line and England have a good position to attack.
Kick-off! Wales 0-0 England
Here we go! Can Wales down England? Or will the Red Roses continue their dominance?
Here come the players! I’m excited for this one
Players will be out on the pitch shortly with the anthems following! Cardiff is bouncing, the atmosphere is amazing at the sold-out Cardiff Arms Park.
How do you see this one panning out? I think Wales will challenge England but the Red Roses should come away with a narrow win. I’m going to predict a 25-20 England win.
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham has encouraged more male coaches to create a safe space for athletes to openly speak about their periods. Wales have been using period apps to aid players in training and Cunningham has spoken about speaking to his players about it. “It’s something that first and foremost that the players have to be comfortable in opening up and speaking about it, and if they’re not, that’s fine as well,” he told PA. “It was a period of adjustment. If I’m honest, I’m comfortable to speak about it, but I just wanted to make sure the players were comfortable. It’s growing that relationship with the players so that they know I’m coming from a care point of view, to be the best athlete that they can be in our environment.”
Wales last defeated England in 2015 and they be gunning for another upset to take control of the Women’s Six Nations table! Can they do it? Well they are in their best position to do so in recent history.
What do you make of the comments? Let me know via email or Twitter or if you have any other thoughts on the match!
Some fans on social media labelled his comments patronising and Middleton was asked by BBC Radio 5 Live about it, saying: “I don’t think so. I’ve been in the game 10 years with the Red Roses. We’re talking about something that makes the game a bit more rewarding for players who practise skills. It’s no different to the ladies’ tee in golf. It’s simply looking at the physiology of the players and trying to equate it to what we’re asking them to do.”
Former England player Katy Daley-McLean also spoke after Middleton made his comments. She told the Rugby Union Daily: “I don’t agree with Simon. Having played the game, if we start changing things like kicking, then we might as well shorten the pitch and change the ball size.”
Wales player Keira Bevan reacted to Middleton’s comments, saying: “To be honest I thought it was a quite bizarre suggestion as he has got some of the best kickers in the world in his team. Emma Sing slotted one from the touchline against Italy and that had another five or 10 metres in it. I saw former England coach Gary Street saying that players like Emily Scarratt and Katy Daley-Mclean, who are both fantastic kickers, are not freaks of nature, they just put the hours in and worked hard at it. I think it’s about that – how willing you are to work to get better at a skill and how much time you have. We have more time than ever now so it’s going to get better.” Read the full piece:
As previously mentioned, England head coach Simon Middleton suggested women’s players should be able to have closer conversion kicks than men in the build-up to the game today. He said: “I just think it is a bit of an unfair game because it is so power related. You want to be rewarded for good skill and I don’t think they get rewarded because of physical constraints that come with what we know is a natural discrepancy between male and female athletes. I would hazard a guess that if you gave that option to most kickers in the female game they would bring it in 10m. The closer the games get, the more vital those kicks are going to be. We should be throwing things in there if we think it can improve the game.” It’s fair to say the comments have started a debate with many women’s rugby players disagreeing with Middleton.
Wales have made two changes to their starting XV with Lowri Norkett coming in on the wing and Hannah Bluck starts at inside centre. Bryonie King could make her debut from the bench.
Wales: Keight; Neumann, H Jones (C), Bluck, Norkett; Snowsill, Bevan; Pyrs, K Jones, Tuipulotu, Fleming, Evans, Lewis, Callender, Harries.
Replacements: Phillips, Hope, Hale, John, Williams, King, Lewis, Wilkins.
England, meanwhile, have made three changes to their starting line-up. Emma Sing makes her first start for England as she starts at full-back with Abby Dow moving to the wing in place of the injured Claudia MacDonald. In the forwards, Lark Davies starts at hooker with Amy Cokayne playing for the RAF this weekend and Alex Matthews starts at No 8 after recovering from injury. Hannah Botterman, Maud Muir and Ellie Kildunne start from the bench following injuries.
England: Sing; Breach, Tuima, Heard, Dow; Aitchison, L Packer; Carson, Davies, Bern, Aldcroft, O’Donnell, Kabeya, M Packer (C), Matthews
Replacements: Campbell; Botterman, Muir, Burns, Beckett, Wyrwas, McKenna, Kildunne
Hello and welcome to this Women’s Six Nations clash between old rivals Wales and England! It is a top of the table clash with both teams winning both of their matches so far with bonus-points. England are only in first position due to points difference.
Wales are on a progressive journey after introducing professional contracts last year. They played a great match against England in the tournament last year but faded in the second half for the Red Roses to claim the win. But Wales have improved their fitness and they could be lethal this afternoon. It would still be an upset for Wales to win but it would not be a surprise.
England have been dominant so far in the tournament but they haven’t been perfect. Their handling errors and some miscommunication at the breakdown have exposed some weaknesses. They will be favourites but face a tough crowd at the sold-out Cardiff Arms Park.
Simon Middleton also started a controversial debate around kicking conversions in the women’s game, we will go into more detail later this afternoon. For now we will bring you the team news with all the changes ahead of kick-off at 2.15pm BST.
