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Mitchell wants more from England at World Cup after another huge win / Photo: © AFP
NYSE - LSE
Mitchell wants more from England at World Cup after another huge win
England coach John Mitchell insisted his side still had room for improvement after a 92-3 hammering of Samoa on Saturday helped the favourites reach the quarter-finals of the Women's Rugby World Cup.
The Red Roses ran in 14 tries for their biggest winning margin in a World Cup fixture, with Australia's thrilling 31-31 draw with the United States later Saturday confirming England's place in the last eight with a match to spare.
England have won 59 of their last 60 games, the lone defeat in that sequence their agonising loss to New Zealand in the Covid-delayed 2022 World Cup final.
Mitchell highlighted a 15-minute period around half-time at a rainswept Franklin's Gardens in Northampton when England's performance dipped.
"The start was energetic and very clinical," he said. "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.
Mitchell, a former coach of his native New Zealand's men's All Blacks, added: "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 wing Jess Breach ran in three tries against Samoa, with fly-half Helena Rowland marking her return from an ankle injury with an individual haul of 27 points.
"Jess was very good at her one-on-one duels. She can find half a metre and she'll burn you," Mitchell said.
"Helena was outstanding. She has got a great skill set."
"She directed the attack really well to allow us to go forward."
Samoa coach Ramsey Tomokino was both surprised and relieved by Harmony Vatau kicking the 44th-minute penalty for the Pacific islanders' first score of the tournament.
"We weren't happy with getting a zero last weekend," he said. "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 were 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."
L. Rodrigues--JDB
