England's Red Roses staged a significant comeback to defeat Australia 48-15 in their WXV encounter. The team found themselves trailing at half-time, a situation not experienced in nearly six years, before a second-half surge saw them score 43 points.
Australia's Wallaroos presented a strong challenge in the first half, leading 10-5. They demonstrated clinical attacking play and physical defence, with England experiencing uncharacteristic handling errors.
The match was part of a trial by World Rugby, with teams using a size 4.5 ball instead of the usual size five throughout the WXV matches this autumn. Australia reportedly adapted better to the change in the first half.
England fly-half Holly Aitchison earned her 50th cap during the game. After the break, May Campbell's try kickstarted England's scoring, followed by tries from Meg Jones, debutant Bryony Field, Mia Venner, Sadia Kabeya, Lucy Packer, and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald.