VALKYRIES captain Lark Davies produced a player-of-the-match performance as England Women opened their Six Nations campaign with a 51-7 win over Ireland at Donnybrook on Friday.
Hooker Davies capped her second Six Nations start with her third international try when she crossed in the second half to secure the bonus point.
England were only 13-0 up at half-time after tries from Jess Breach and Sarah McKenna but they cut loose after the break and ran in six tries. Ireland briefly staunched the flow when they were awarded a penalty try.
Davies’ try came after from the driving maul off the back of a lineout.
England continue their Six Nations campaign against France at Doncaster on Sunday (February 10) after they had the chance to enjoy their win in Dublin.
Head coach Simon Middleton said: “There’s lots and lots to work on especially with our execution, but both defensively and offensively I thought we’d taken some of the stuff we’ve been working in training on, so I’m really pleased with that.
“In the second half it was about getting some of the girls off the bench and into international rugby, and getting as many minutes into them as possible.
“We’ll celebrate for sure because it is a massive win for us, then we’ll recover and let everyone mentally switch off and we’ll be back on it with all of our focus on France in Doncaster.”