England overturn half-time deficit to beat Australia 48-15 in WXV opener

England recovered from a 10-5 half-time deficit to beat Australia 48-15 in their opening WXV Global Series match at CorpAcq Stadium in Salford on Saturday. The world champions scored seven tries after the break to extend their record winning run to 39 matches, according to BBC Sport's match report and live coverage.

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Australia took an early lead through a Samantha Wood penalty before Abi Burton crossed for England. Faliki Pohiva's try, converted by Wood, put the visitors back in front before the interval. BBC Sport reported that England had not been behind at half-time since facing France in November 2020. Handling errors and missed opportunities in Australia's 22 had disrupted the hosts' opening half.

The BBC's live account recorded May Campbell's try in the 46th minute as the start of England's recovery, with Holly Aitchison's conversion putting the hosts ahead. Captain Meg Jones followed four minutes later after collecting Aitchison's kick. Debutant Bryony Field, Mia Venner and Sadia Kabeya then scored in a six-minute burst, taking England clear with a quarter of the match remaining.

Lucy Packer added another try before Karpani replied for Australia. Claudia Moloney-MacDonald completed England's eight-try total late in the match, finishing an attack that moved through Helena Rowland and Venner towards the left wing. Zoe Harrison kicked three conversions during the second half. Australia's early resistance had forced England to rely on their driving maul for several scores before the home side widened the gap.

Head coach John Mitchell told BBC Sport that England had remained composed at half-time and focused on regaining control and increasing the pace. Burton, named player of the match, said the team knew they had fallen below their standards and needed a stronger physical response. A crowd of 9,251 watched England's first appearance since securing an eighth consecutive Women's Six Nations title in May.

The new WXV Global Series replaces the previous WXV competition and involves the world's leading 12 teams across 2026-28, ahead of the 2029 World Cup in Australia. England next face Canada at Sandy Park in Exeter on 19 September, followed by New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on 26 September.