Women's

Maggie Alphonsi on Round 1: ‘Blown away’ by Les Bleues while Cleall sisters show their class

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Opening weekends in the Women’s Six Nations are always special and this one was no different, with two great matches to kick off the 2021 Championship.

Opening weekends in the Women’s Six Nations are always special and this one was no different, with two great matches to kick off the 2021 Championship.

England and France showed their class in their victories but there were plenty of positives for the beaten sides, Scotland and Wales, as they look ahead to their remaining fixtures.

Let’s start with the opening game, which saw England overcome Scotland.

ENGLAND COME OUT FLYING

There’s always hype around a Six Nations opener because of how much it means to everyone involved. Whatever you’ve done in the previous year goes out the window and I can vividly remember the mixture of nerves, excitement, adrenaline and anticipation I used to feel as an England player ahead of our campaigns getting underway.

Personally, I never used to sleep well before games. I would play the game ten times over in my head, mentally visualising what was to come, and on the coach to the stadium I used to love watching American Football videos. That would get me thinking about making big tackles and dominating the opposition.

Whatever this year’s Red Roses players watched to get themselves up for Saturday’s game, it worked. England came flying out the blocks in the first half, not letting their visitors get into the game, and opened up a healthy lead.

Scotland grew into the contest in the second half and scored a try their performance deserved. I was really impressed with the grit and fight Bryan Easson’s side showed and I don’t think the scoreline fully reflects their efforts.

They made England work for their tries and will certainly be ones to watch later in the Championship – their Round 3 clash with Italy looks an intriguing battle.

As for England, they should be pleased with their start and there were some really good individual performances.

‘BRILLIANT’ CLEALL BECOMING A LEADER

It’s becoming unusual not to see the word ‘brilliant’ in the same sentence as Poppy Cleall, with good reason. Her metres made per carry were hugely significant, she crossed for a try and she is becoming a real leader within that forwards group, which is particularly useful in the absence of injured captain Sarah Hunter.

Poppy is also proving herself at No.8, which I think is her best position and creates a nice selection headache for Simon Middleton when Hunter returns to fitness.

As impressive as they were, England do have things to work on as they prepare to travel to Italy in Round 2. Discipline was an issue in the second half, as we saw with the high penalty count and two quickfire yellow cards, and they will hope to make fewer errors and capitalise more clinically in key areas this weekend.

Defensively, England will hope to kick on in Parma. Italy have some excellent, dynamic players and often start games well. They have the ability to catch you napping if you are off your game early on and the Red Roses will have to be switched on from the first whistle to make sure that doesn’t happen.

BLOWN AWAY BY LES BLEUES

Back to Saturday’s action, where I was blown away by France’s performance against Wales. Caroline Boujard’s hat-trick inside 15 minutes will get the headlines, and rightly so, but every player who touched the ball was a threat.

Gabrielle Vernier deservedly earned the Player of the Match award while Maelle Filopon at 13 and Emilie Boulard at 15 were excellent. In the pack, the French scrum improved as the game went on and they consistently forced Wales backwards in the second half.

I was really impressed with Emeline Gros at No.8 – if her and Poppy Cleall meet on Super Saturday, it will be some battle!

Wales will learn a lot from the game and there were definitely some positives to take away. Manon Johnes was threatening at the breakdown, winning a turnover, and Lisa Neumann looked good on the wing.

They have some new faces in their team and are under a new-look coaching staff, led by Warren Abrahams. It takes time for coaches to mould a team and Wales have plenty of potential, with a blend of exciting youngsters and experienced heads.

It will be interesting to see how Wales fare against Ireland this weekend. In the likes of Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Stacey Flood and Eve Higgins, Ireland have some promising uncapped players who have impressed in the World Sevens Series in recent years and if Adam Griggs picks them, I’ll be really interested to see how they play and adapt to international 15s rugby.

Ireland look a strong outfit but Wales come into the game battle-hardened – it should be a great game.

RESPECT FOR EVERYONE IN THE BUBBLE

As attention switches towards Round 2, I would like to mention just how much admiration I have for the players in their ‘bubbles’.

If I’m honest, I would have struggled in those circumstances. I used to like to get away from the hotel when I could – even if it was just to the supermarket to buy myself a treat if I had played well.

I really admire all the players and the backroom teams for the behind-the-scenes work making sure these games are played.

It’s not just about the performances on the field, it’s about staying mentally strong, and they all have my utmost respect.

MAGGIE ALPHONSI’S TEAM OF THE WEEK

With so many eye-catching displays in Round 1, it was difficult to pick a Team of the Week – but I’ve gone with the following…

An impressive debut by the full-back, who is keeping out the experienced Jessy Tremouliere and scored a try her performance merited.

Three very good finishes gave her a hat-trick within 15 minutes and she could have had a fourth in an outstanding display.

Smith’s well-worked try was just reward for Scotland’s determination and showed signs of their development as an attacking force. Honourable mentions go to Emily Scarratt and Maelle Filopon, who both played very well.

A tackling machine in defence and her offloads played an integral part in France’s dangerous attack. Deservedly won Player of the Match.

The wing showed moments of individual brilliance, not least with her try. She finds an extra gear with ball in hand and reminds me of Cheslin Kolbe when she gets going.

Katy Daley-Mclean left big shoes to fill in the England No.10 jersey but an assured performance showed Rowland could be the heir to the throne. Her first Red Roses try will be a real confidence boost.

A player looking to cement her position in the team, especially while the likes of Natasha Hunt are out injured, Riley brought tempo to England’s performance. Her try showed her pace and quick-thinking around the rucks.

She played at tighthead but I’ve moved her across – I couldn’t leave her out after a brilliant performance on her international comeback following injury. England will be delighted to have her back. Annaelle Deshaye was also a close contender.

Scored the try which secured France’s bonus point and was everywhere around the park. Solid at the set-piece throughout.

Made strong tackles, showed hunger and worked hard to hold England up in the scrum.

She was Scotland’s engine and emptied the tank completely. Wassell left everything on the pitch, was good in the lineout and looked like a forward on a mission.

Zoe played at flanker this weekend but I’ve had to move her up due to the number of impressive back-rowers in Round 1. Making her comeback from injury, she was instrumental in terms of hard carries, offloads and getting involved in all the action.

She moves to 6 to accommodate Emeline Gros after both players were superb. Cleall scored a try in an outstanding Player of the Match display which sees her join her twin sister in the team. The only downside to her display was her second-half yellow card, which should have been avoided.

Scored a try and was everywhere in an all-action performance. An honourable mention goes to Manon Johnes, who was lively around the breakdown for Wales.

A very impressive display, especially in the second half where the French dominance at the scrum gave her the platform to make a series of clean breaks and score twice.