Saturday’s 13-7 victory over France in New Zealand reinforced England’s standing as Women’s Rugby World Cup favorites, despite England being pushed to the limit.
Australia defeated Scotland by a score of 14-12, and the United States defeated Japan by a score of 30-17, putting the two losing teams on the verge of elimination.
On a day of tense encounters in Whangarei, the clash between the two Six Nations heavyweights in Pool C held the most weight, with England and France strong chances to meet again in next month’s final.
France, trailing 13-0 with 15 minutes remaining, received a glimmer of hope when replacement forward Gaelle Hermet scored against the run of play.
However, England’s dominance of possession and territory persisted in the final stages, despite their continuous failure to capitalize on scoring opportunities against a resolute French defense.
Sarah Hunter, captain of England, was not shocked by the close nature of the contest.
“We are aware that recent matches between us and France have been decided by razor-thin margins. Tonight is no different; both teams are excellent “With her 137th Test match, Hunter tied England’s record for most Test appearances.
The top-ranked team in the world forced the fourth-ranked team in the world to make more than 140 tackles in the first half, and this pressure paid off when outside center Scarratt crossed the ball.
Her conversion, followed by two penalty goals either side of halftime, paved the way for victory against opponents who suffered two important player injuries in the first 20 minutes.
Scrum-half Laure Sansus and No. 8 Romane Menager were both assisted off the field, and their status for the remainder of France’s campaign remained uncertain.
In the two earlier contests, four clubs that were defeated in last week’s opening round participated.
Scotland must now defeat hosts New Zealand in the final round next week in order to advance from Pool A for the quarterfinals, while Japan will face a similar situation against Pool B foes Italy.
At halftime, when they lead the U.S. 5-3, the underdog Japanese threatened a spectacular upset.
With 25 minutes remaining, they still led by two points, but they were unable to hold off the Eagles, who scored tries via Joanne Kitninski, Elizabeth Cairns, Jennine Detiveaux, and Alev Kelter.
After a lackluster performance in the first half, US captain Kate Zachary remarked that her team stepped up when they realized what was at risk.
“The players recognize the significance of the second half,” Zachary added.
Every player performed admirably in the second half, as we had stated.
In the only previous meeting between the two nations, the United States triumphed 121-0 in pool play at the 1994 World Cup.
Earlier, Australia maintained composure despite losing both of their hookers to red cards in the final minutes of their match against Scotland.
The Wallaroos overcame a 12-0 halftime deficit thanks to tries from Bienne Terita and Ashley Marsters, but the match ended in dramatic circumstances as Marsters and Adiana Talakai were both sent off for high tackles.
Australia’s captain, Shannon Parry, was removed of his duties after their first loss to New Zealand, 41-17.
It was a very difficult and nerve-wracking battle, Parry recalled.
We didn’t play as well as we would have liked, but we’ll accept the points because we’re still in the competition, which is what important.
It was a second narrow setback for the Scots, who last week fell 18-15 to Wales in the last minute.