History and highlights packages will commemorate the seventh of England’s 11 tries as the most memorable of their 67-12 victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium.
This was the third score of Ellie Kildunne’s hat-trick, the supreme full-back finishing a sweeping move by diving to dot down her own kick ahead. Moments previously, however, had been a flash of understated excellence from another of the game’s stars.
Maddie Feaunati had fielded the restart inside her own 22 before shrugging off Bethan Lewis, the Wales flanker, and surging through two more tackles to eke out around 20 metres. On the floor, the England No 8 tumbled and turned to present the ball and ensure that Natasha Hunt had a pristine platform:
A blend of dynamism and diligence, which set up something more eye-catching, summed up Feaunati’s display neatly. Before half-time, she had bagged two tries. The first was a formidable run from the tail of a driving maul.
Having begun in the receiver position from a line-out on the edge of the Wales 22, Feaunati burrowed in and then bounced out to fend off the first defender. Lewis was left flat-footed, seemingly unbalanced and perhaps even shocked by Feaunati’s footwork and acceleration:
The try looked jarringly easy, not least because Wales had been purposeful over the first 10 minutes up until that point, but was testament to impressive athleticism. And it spurred England into action.
Feaunati’s next try-scoring contribution was a beautifully delicate tip-pass to Sarah Bern, which crystallised the importance of shifting the point of contact on the gain-line. Watch how Kayleigh Powell commits to Feaunati, opening up the hole for Bern to pierce:
This reverse angle illustrates how the defensive line concertinas with Powell (12) joining Kate Williams (6) in the same tackle:
And a slow-motion close-up accentuates the way that Feaunati holds her stride and squares up before transferring the ball. All it takes is a one-metre pop and Bern can go over untouched:
Feaunati’s second try was indebted to her own strength at close quarters, and capitalised upon a break from the backs:
Afterwards, head coach John Mitchell was measured in his praise. “Firstly, Maddie has been playing outstanding,” he said. “She’s powerful, she’s grown in confidence. But you never write off Alex Matthews. She is a world-class No 8 and we are very lucky to have her, too.
“Now I have got a difficult decision to make over the next week. I think we’ll get the balance right because they are both good players.”
Matthews is, indeed, a phenomenal player and will buoy England upon her return from suspension for round three against Ireland on April 12. Mitchell could start her in tandem with Feaunati.
That approach would probably see Zoe Aldcroft slip forward from blindside flanker to the second row, unless the skipper is rested. Although the reasons for Mitchell’s wholesale rotation are understandable, he will need to settle upon his best side sooner or later.
Having Aldcroft, Matthews, Feaunati and Sadia Kabeya on the pitch together seems like a sound strategy. Then again, as Mitchell admits himself, the back-row shake-up is extraordinarily competitive. As well as Matthews, Marlie Packer, Sarah Beckett, Georgia Brock and Charlotte Fray were all absent from Saturday’s match-day squad.
Abi Burton arrived from the bench for a Test debut, replacing Feaunati, and decorated her 13-minute cameo with two tries of her own; the first a robust shunt close to the ruck, the second a chance to stretch her legs further wide.
Anything less than victory at the World Cup later this year will feel like a failure for England, which brings a distinct psychological challenge. There is also the nagging subplot that they have never beaten New Zealand at a global showpiece tournament, which could weigh heavy if and when the Red Roses meet the Black Ferns.
Mitchell’s flagship pick
Whisked into the England fold last year after relocating from Wellington to join Exeter Chiefs, Feaunati has been something of a flagship pick from Mitchell. The daughter of Zak, the Samoa international who represented various Premiership clubs, she was born in Leeds and spent the first nine years of her life in the United Kingdom before her family moved to New Zealand.
Mitchell certainly knows his back-rowers and Feaunati has enriched the squad, helping England to move on from heartbreak at the World Cup in 2022 and strive towards a new level.
She is a robust and industrious defender. Watch how she and Sadia Kabeya combine for this tackle on Powell, with Feaunati rising to her feet immediately to fill in around the fringes after all impetus has been taken out of the Wales attack:
Carrying is her chief strength, though, and Feaunati is particularly valuable in situations such as these. From a potentially awkward line-out around her own 22, she punctures the midfield and lays back the ball to allow England to clear their lines with the minimum of fuss:
One specific area to monitor, given the manner of England’s loss to New Zealand in the last World Cup final, is variation around the line-out. The driving maul can remain a weapon for Mitchell’s charges, but adding wrinkles will make it more potent.
Here, in the opening stages of the second half, Feaunati is again in the receiver position. Aldcroft jumps at the front to secure the ball, before Feaunati arcs away and fixes Lewis in a bid to launch Kabeya towards the seam of the defensive line.
As it happens, Wales lock Abbie Fleming does well to reach through and disrupt the transfer between Aldcroft and Feaunati. This requires the latter to stall for a second and throws off the timing between her and Kabeya, who goes on to spill in contact:
This is the sort of kink that the Red Roses will be aiming to iron out over the coming weeks.
Burton’s first try was instigated by another line-out move. Watch how she arcs around from the front to receive Aldcroft’s transfer off the top before drawing a defender and sending Kabeya, who has also circled around from the front of the line-out, through the seam of the defence to within five metres of the try-line:
England are honing their game nicely, their back-rowers seemingly pushing one another to new heights. With Feaunati in tow, they should end up with a devastating arsenal for the World Cup.
