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England head coach John Mitchell demands more of Red Roses after record Rugby World Cup win over Samoa

England romped to 14-try victory over Samoa - their record Women's Rugby World Cup win - to book ticket to quarter-finals with a game to spare but head coach John Mitchell highlighted areas of improvement for the Red Roses

England captain Marlie Packer
Image: Marlie Packer scored while standing in as skipper for the injured Zoe Aldcroft

England registered another emphatic victory in the Women's Rugby World Cup group stage by crushing Samoa 92-3, but head coach John Mitchell still pinpointed areas for improvement.

The Red Roses recorded their biggest margin of victory and the highest number of points in the tournament's history by amassing 14 tries against amateur opponents ranked 15 in the world.

But Mitchell identified a 15-minute period around half-time when England's performance dipped.

"The start was energetic and very clinical. As the game wore on and the score was building it was always going to be a challenge to stay in process and build pressure," he said.

"There is always something to fix in this game. If you are going to mark it hard you would ask why we didn't build pressure during that period and our basics let us down. But we wouldn't be human if we didn't have something to fix."

England head coach John Mitchell
Image: John Mitchell adamant Red Roses can improve after record World Cup win

Wing Jess Breach showed her finishing prowess by running in a blistering hat-trick, while the excellent Megan Jones crossed twice in the Pool A showdown at Franklin's Gardens.

And fly-half Helena Rowland marked her return from an ankle injury to compile an individual haul of 27 points, setting a new record for an England player at a World Cup.

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"Jess was very good at her one-on-one duels. She can find half a metre and she'll burn you," Mitchell said.

england
Image: Helena Rowland produced a player-of-the-match performance in England's 14-try rout of Samoa

"She's confident and she's done a lot of work to put herself in that position. When she's like that, she's outstanding.

"Helena was outstanding. She has got a great skill set. She probed the game well. The girls fed off her direction and she directed the attack really well to allow us to go forward.

"She can hunt weakness through her pace. It was an outstanding example of a triple threat."

'Smile at their jubilation'

Harmony Vatau is mobbed after scoring Samoa's first points of Rugby World Cup 2025
Image: Harmony Vatau is mobbed after scoring Samoa's first points of Rugby World Cup 2025

Samoa head coach Ramsey Tomokino revealed his players went off script when Harmony Vatau slotted the 45th-minute penalty that registered their first points of the World Cup.

Vatau's successful kick ignited wild celebrations from the Islanders, who were crushed 73-0 by Australia in the opening round.

"We weren't happy with getting a zero last weekend. I wasn't expecting them to take the shot at goal but they did," Tomokino said.

"As a coach you've just got to sit there and smile at their jubilation. We hope the women's game will grow after this World Cup and we'll get more opportunities.

"There was worries that the score would get to triple figures and wouldn't that be good for the game, but we're here and the goal is to get better."

What's next?

Pool A concludes on Saturday, September 6 with Samoa taking on USA in York at 1.30pm before England face Australia in Brighton at 5pm in a blockbuster clash where top spot is on the line.