Women's Six Nations 2022: England head coach Simon Middleton 'frustrated' despite big win over Scotland

England head coach Simon Middleton was left «frustrated» by his «rusty» side despite opening the Women's Six Nations with a 57-5 victory in Scotland.

The Red Roses' depth of talent ensured a dominant win as they seek a fourth successive title but their hosts put up a strong fight in Edinburgh.

England scored nine tries and could have had more were it not for several handling mishaps.

«There were errors we shouldn't have made,» Middleton said.

«I am a little bit frustrated. We'll get to the bottom of it and we'll be better in our next game. We weren't quite at the level we wanted to be.»

Asked to explain why England were not at the clinical heights reached in their back-to-back record wins against world champions New Zealand last autumn, Middleton said there was «a bit of rustiness» having not played for four months.

He added that the hearty resistance put up by Scotland is proof «we are set for a great Six Nations», with England and France dominating the tournament in recent years.

«If people think England are going to have it all their own way they can forget about it,» he said.

The Women's Six Nations is once again taking place in its own window, separate from the men's tournament.

That, combined with Scotland's momentum after they qualified for the World Cup in February, could explain the record crowd in Edinburgh.

The attendance of 3,988 is the most ever for a Scotland Women home game, and head coach Bryan Easson said it «shows how far we've come».

«That's not happening by accident, that is happening because of the performances we have put in on the field,» he added.

England captain Sarah Hunter agreed, saying: «I can't think of a better atmosphere we've had in Scotland. It was loud and a great crowd to play in front of.»

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