England overcome patchy display to beat Australia 47-7 and set up Scotland quarter-final

England recovered from a shaky first-half performance to rout Australia 47-7 on Sunday and set up a Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Scotland at Brighton & Hove Stadium.

The victory extended England's unbeaten run to 30 Tests, matching a record streak, but the manner of the win — marked by handling errors, prolonged TMO checks and two key injuries — underlined vulnerabilities that could buoy challengers later in the tournament.

England led 19-7 at half-time before a second-half surge delivered a comprehensive scoreline. Tries for England came from Breach, Ward, Sadia Kabeya (two), Kelsey Clifford (two) and Bern, with fly-half Hannah Harrison converting six of the kicks. Australia's lone try was scored by Talakai and converted by Wood.

The match featured several stopping points for injury treatment and video review. Cameras also cut to a number of high-profile spectators, including Catherine, Princess of Wales, seated in the crowd, and England men's tour co-captain Jamie George. During a pivotal period in the first half, England looked to have finished a driving maul with hooker Amy Cokayne appearing to ground the ball, only for the referee to rule she had spilled it forward. The replay of that moment showed a grim-faced Australia coach John Mitchell on the touchline.

England's attack eventually found rhythm in the second half, with replacement prop Kelsey Clifford crossing twice after coming on, and flanker Kabeya adding a brace. The Wallaroos, ranked seventh in the world, were unable to match England's power and cohesion after the interval.

However, England paid a price in personnel. Full-back Ellie Kildunne was withdrawn late in the first half after sustaining a head knock and did not return. Hooker Hannah Botterman left the field with a back spasm and was also unable to continue. Both are considered frontline members of the squad and their fitness will be closely monitored ahead of the quarter-final.

The result keeps England on course as one of the tournament favourites, but the unconvincing opening 40 minutes and the spilled grounding that denied a try will provide encouragement to rivals that the champions can be troubled. England head into the knockout stages with questions over player availability and form to address before meeting Scotland in the last eight.

The match was attended by 30,433 spectators in Brighton, a marker of growing interest in the women's game and a high-profile setting for a World Cup meeting between two established rugby nations.

England's next fixture, the quarter-final against Scotland, will turn a spotlight on whether the team can convert its depth and experience into a polished performance when errors and injuries have less margin for correction. Australia, meanwhile, will regroup with a view to building on moments of promise from the match as the tournament progresses.