- England defeated Italy, despite Sarah Beckett being sent off in the first half
- The Red Roses scored six tries in the second half to run out comfortable winners
- Ellie Kiltun scored twice while Lark Atkin-Davies, Helena Rowland, Mackenzie Carson and Connie Powell also scored.
England started their Women’s Six Nations title defense with an eight-try victory over Italy in Parma, despite Sarah Beckett being sent off after just 11 minutes.
The hosts, who have finished fifth for the past two years, were no match for the 2023 Grand Slam winners, who picked up a bonus point as they began their quest for a sixth consecutive championship in style.
Beckett was dismissed early on for a dangerous foul, but only after becoming the first woman to have her yellow card upgraded to red by TMO’s ‘bunker’ system.
But it did little to dent the Red Roses’ chances as they opened up a 10-point lead at half-time with tries from Hannah Botterman and Abbie Ward. England picked up their performance after the break, adding another six tries.
England started their Women’s Six Nations title defense with an eight-try victory over Italy
Ellie Kiltun (two), Lark Atkin-Davies, Helena Rowland, Mackenzie Carson and Connie Powell all touched down despite the visitors being reduced to 13 players in the 69th minute when Rowland was shown a yellow card for head contact at a ruck.
England captain Marlie Packer, who won her 100th cap, said: ‘I’m on top of the world if I’m honest with you.
‘We said we wanted to take the handbrake off, but there were some soft spelling mistakes. We will bounce back and come back stronger against Wales.”
The Red Roses scored six tries in the second half to run out comfortable winners in Parma