Italy 0-48 EnglandMarlie Packer wins 100th cap for Red Roses in thrashing
England claimed a commanding scoreline in their Women’s Six Nations opener against Italy but the performance and discipline was far from their usual standards. Sarah Beckett was given her marching orders in the 11th minute after the bunker review, being used for the first time in the tournament, upgraded her yellow card to a red and Helena Rowland was sent to the sin bin in the 68th minute.
The cards, handling errors and failing lineout blighted the 100th cap for the captain, Marlie Packer. When Packer first stepped on a rugby pitch for England in 2008 Gordon Brown was prime minister, Four Minutes by Madonna and Justin Timberlake was in its fourth week at No 1, and Manchester United had just won their 10th Premier League title in 16 years after beating Wigan Athletic 2-0. Packer played only 40 minutes in England’s 80-3 win against Sweden on her debut and did not play again for the team for more than three years. A disappointing first cap but it has worked out for the Red Roses captain.
