England beat Australia 48-15 as Field scores on debut in WXV opener

England recovered from a 10-5 half-time deficit to beat Australia 48-15 at CorpAcq Stadium in Salford on Saturday, opening their WXV Global Series campaign with a 39th consecutive Test victory. World Rugby reported that replacement hooker Bryony Field marked her senior international debut with a try as the hosts scored seven times after the interval.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxvPfIFNzNg

Australia had frustrated the world champions throughout the first half, defending resolutely while England struggled with handling errors and accuracy near the visitors' line. According to BBC Sport, Samantha Wood kicked an early penalty and Faliki Pohiva scored Australia's opening try. Abi Burton, later named player of the match, supplied England's only first-half try in front of 9,251 spectators.

May Campbell's try put England ahead after the restart, and captain Meg Jones also crossed before Field made her contribution. World Rugby's match report placed Field's score 15 minutes into the second half, only seven minutes after she had entered the match. She finished from a lineout maul as England began converting their forward pressure into a decisive advantage.

Mia Venner followed Field over the line two minutes later, with Sadia Kabeya adding another try four minutes after that. Lucy Packer then scored with 13 minutes remaining. Australia managed a second try through Karpani, but Claudia Moloney-MacDonald delivered England's final try with a run down the left wing.

Head coach John Mitchell told BBC Sport that the value of the match lay in his players solving problems during their first outing of the 2026-27 campaign. England had not played since securing an eighth successive Women's Six Nations title in May. Mitchell emphasised the response after the break, when his team accumulated 43 points, rather than the earlier deficit.

The result starts England's schedule in a competition that replaces WXV. BBC Sport reported that the Global Series runs from 2026 to 2028, involving the world's leading 12 teams ahead of Australia's 2029 World Cup. England next face Canada at Sandy Park before meeting New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on 26 September. The Canada fixture will reunite last year's World Cup finalists.