England power past Australia 48-15 to open WXV Global Series
England beat Australia 48-15 in Salford on Saturday 12 September 2026 to win the opening game of the WXV Global Series. The Red Roses, England's women's team, pulled away with a dominant second-half performance BBC Sport.
The game kicked off at 15:00 local time at CorpAcq Stadium in Salford. England were the hosts against Australia's Wallaroos in the first match of the new series England Rugby. Fans in England could watch on BBC iPlayer or England Rugby YouTube.
England arrived on a remarkable run. They had won 38 matches in a row before this game BBC Sport. They had also beaten the Wallaroos 47-7 when the teams last met in September 2025.
That form follows status. England came into this WXV campaign as reigning Rugby World Cup champions. Australia knew the scale of the task, even with several stars returning from injury for the September and October internationals.
Head coach John Mitchell named a 36-player squad for England's home leg of the series. Depth matters in this format. International windows are short, collisions are heavy, and coaches need fresh legs to keep the tempo up in the second half.
What makes this stand out is the control after the break. Rugby league talks about completions, union talks about possession at the ruck, scrum and lineout. England won that physical battle. They kept the ball, kept moving forward, and the scoreboard followed.
There is more to come quickly. The Red Roses play Canada at Sandy Park Stadium in Exeter on Saturday 19 September 2026. Australia's WXV calendar also includes France and Scotland. It is part of a new-look Global Series calendar for 2026.
