England's women's rugby team, the world champions, began their WXV Global Series campaign with a 48-15 victory over Australia at CorpAcq Stadium. Despite trailing 10-5 at half-time, a rare occurrence since 2020, England scored seven tries in the second half to secure the win.
The Wallaroos had taken an early lead with a penalty and a try, but England responded emphatically after the interval. Tries from May Campbell, Meg Jones, Bryony Field, Mia Venner, Sadia Kabeya, Lucy Packer, and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald helped extend England's record winning run to 39 matches.
This match marked the debut of the new women's size 4.5 ball, which is 3% smaller than the standard size five. The WXV Global Series, featuring the world's top 12 teams, replaces the WXV competition and is designed to provide more competitive matches ahead of the 2029 World Cup in Australia.
England will next face Canada at Sandy Park, Exeter, and then complete their home leg of the series against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on 26 September.