Helena Rowland bags hat-trick as Red Roses beat Wales and set winning record

A Helena Rowland hat-trick helped England to a 73-7 win over Wales at Ashton Gate which means the Red Roses will head to the upcoming World Cup on a winning run of 25 consecutive matches. They are the first international rugby team to win 25 in a row – the perfect springboard from which to launch their World Cup campaign on October 8 against Fiji.A key moment in the match came around the 70-minute mark when the Red Roses went down to 14 players. Player of the match Rowland was hooked off in what was described as a precautionary measure and she could not be replaced as England had already emptied their bench.“She started to cramp,” head coach Simon Middleton said post-match.

“The last thing we want is for the cramp to turn into a tear. Medical were concerned. Yes it gives you a chance to look at a 14-player scenario and get Holly [Aitchison] some time.

We wanted to look at Holly at 13 and what we didn’t want to do was disrespect Wales in any way.“We would never do that. I would rather have that finger pointed at me than leave my 12 on the field and the cramp turns into a tear. We were never going to take a chance on that.”After a minute’s silence for Queen Elizabeth II the match got underway.

England had good early possession but the lineout was sloppy five metres out which gave Wales a foothold. The visitors won another penalty and fly-half Elinor Snowsill showed their intent with a kick to the corner.However, the tides quickly turned with England gathering the ball from the Welsh lineout and running it upfield. In the 22 Helena Rowland ran a beautiful line to bypass two defenders to crash over, which had the 11,961 crowd on their feet.