For one half in Salford, this looked like the kind of test that can expose even the most reliable side. Australia led 10-5 at the break, England had not been trailing after 40 minutes in almost six years, and the WXV Global Series opener had a slightly uncomfortable feel about it. Then England did what England have done to so many opponents for so long: they found another gear, and the match stopped being close.
The final shape of the game was emphatic. England scored 43 second-half points and ran in seven tries after the interval to turn a first-half warning into a statement win. That matters because this was not just a routine recovery from a poor opening spell. It was a reminder that England can absorb pressure, adjust quickly and still overwhelm an opponent once they settle into their rhythm.
May Campbell kickstarted the second-half flurry with a try, and from there the flow shifted decisively in England’s favour. The scoreline suggests dominance, but the first half told a more useful story: Australia were organized enough to make England work, and for a while they succeeded in slowing the game down. England’s response showed why top teams are judged not only by how they start, but by how quickly they solve problems when the match stops going to plan.
Holly Aitchison’s 50th cap also gave the evening an individual milestone, with her leading England out before kickoff in Salford. That was fitting in a game that mixed continuity and change: a veteran core still delivering results, but with the performance itself revealing how difficult it can be to keep England contained for 80 minutes. Even with the first-half wobble, the broader picture remains familiar. The Red Roses are now on a 39-game winning run, and results like this show why that streak has lasted so long.
There was also a small technical note hanging over the match. World Rugby has introduced a trial using a size 4.5 ball for WXV matches, a detail that may sound minor but is part of the sport’s ongoing effort to shape the game at the top level. It did not change the outcome here, though England’s second-half acceleration made the contest look simpler than it was for long stretches.
Australia, meanwhile, will take some encouragement from the opening half. Last year’s World Cup ended with them going out in the quarter-finals, but this was a reminder that they can still challenge a leading side when the structure holds. The issue was not whether they could compete for phases; it was whether they could sustain that level once England began to push the tempo and stretch the field.
England’s next test comes against Canada next Saturday, and that is where this kind of performance becomes especially relevant. A team can survive a slow first half against one opponent and still carry the result. Against a sharper side, the margin for error narrows. England will like the way they finished, but they will also know the opening 40 minutes was the more instructive part of the night.
