England skipper proud after Red Roses show their versatility

England Women in training for their next Six Nations test / Picture: Getty

Hunter scored the seventh of England’s eight tries with Abby Dow and Emily Scott both scoring two each. Sarah Bern, ex-Chichester and Pulborough junior Breach and Claudia MacDonald all scored tries, and Emily Scarratt kicked 13 points to overtake Katy Daley-McLean to become England’s all-time leading points scorer with 539.

Hunter said: “I’m really proud of the team and the way they dealt with the situation of the game. First it was postponed which was frustrating for everyone and then today’s snowy conditions.

“But we maintained our focus, adapted and put in a comprehensive performance and it’s a really important part of where we are as a squad to be able to adapt when there are challenges and come out of it with a good win. It’s a long tournament but it’s important we get the wins we need if we want to reach the end goal that we set ourselves.”

This was England’s second straight win in vastly different conditions, following a 19-13 win in blistering 20 degree heat in France the previous week. Sarah Bern’s second minute try set the tone for their win in miserable conditions, Scarratt kicking the first of her five conversions.

Scarratt’s penalty in the 18th minute gave England breathing room, but it wasn’t until Breach crashed over in the 30th minute that they could feel comfortable. Dow’s converted try made it 22-0 at half-time, and then England ran riot in the second half. Scott scored the fourth and fifth tries for her side, giving them a 34-0 lead within ten minutes of the restart.

Then Dow added her second and Hunter scored herself, with MacDonald’s 76th minute try adding the gloss to the scoreline in the snow. But, despite leading the Women's Six Nations table and routing Scotland, Hunter still saw room for improvement.

She said: “We weren’t quite up to the standards that we wanted, as there were areas in the first half where we probably forced things a bit too much, and we weren’t as accurate as we would have liked to be.

“We know it wasn’t perfect and that’s why we felt a little bit frustrated with a lot of things, but then we talked at half-time about putting things in place for the second half and we saw that at times.”