Emily Scarratt reaches England half-century in rout of Italy

bt.com:

Emily Scarratt scored her 50th England try as Italy were thrashed 74-0 in their TikTok Women’s Six Nations clash in Parma.

Replacement Scarratt had only been on the field a matter of seconds when she collected Zoe Harrison’s clever kick to dot down her landmark score.

England ran in a dozen tries, with Lydia Thompson claiming a hat-trick and fellow wing Sarah McKenna bagging a brace.

Italy had no answer to England’s forward power as the reigning champions completed a record victory over the Azzurri to extend their winning streak to 20 matches.

Head coach Simon Middleton had rotated heavily after a 57-5 victory over Scotland had opened the Red Roses’ title defence in style.

Italy must have feared the worst after being overpowered by France in their tournament opener and it did not take long for the floodgates to open.

Natasha Hunt, playing her her first Test since 2020, fed McKenna for a simple fourth-minute score and Harrison converted.

Thompson soon showed her finishing prowess out wide and Lark Davies benefited from a rolling maul before the 20-minute mark.

England’s bonus point came in the 28th minute when Harlequins prop Shaunaugh Brown powered over from close range and Harrison converted.

With the Italy defence desperately running out of numbers, Alex Matthews crashed over and Harrison added the extras for a 31-0 interval lead.

Thompson claimed her second try straight after the restart before England turned to the bench with devastating effect.

Replacements Vicky Fleetwood, Sarah Bern and Emma Sing, with her first Test score, all crossed.

Scarratt, McKenna and Thompson – with her 41st try in 51 appearances – completed the rout as Beatrice Rigoni’s yellow card reduced Italy to 14 for the final 10 minutes.

Helena