England’s women hunt men’s rugby union record after latest win

Simon Middleton and Sarah Hunter shared a smile as they answered in unison “yes” when asked whether England women were focussed on equalling the men’s record of 18 Test wins in a row.

Their response came after the Red Roses beat Canada 51-12 at the Stoop on Sunday for their 17th consecutive victory, a triumph that also capped a one-year unbroken stand at the top of the rankings.

Sarah Bern scored twice in a player of the match performance, with Claudia MacDonald and debutant Heather Cowell also going over twice, as Alex Matthews ensured that tries from Paige Farries and Sabrina Poulin were cancelled out.

England now head to Worcester looking to equal New Zealand and England's men's record.

Middleton said: “Yes, very much. We want 19. We’ve got to get 18 out of the way first and we want to set the record first and then we want to keep going and make it as difficult to beat as possible.

“This team isn’t great yet, but it’s got a chance to mark itself in history.

“I wouldn’t bet against this team doing it because these girls are so determined and work so hard. It’d take a good team to beat us now."

It took a good team in world No 3 Canada to push England all the way in the first half and despite it being their 17th victory, there were some firsts.

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The visitors scored a converted try in the 22nd minute to see England not only concede in the first half but also be behind for the first time this autumn during which they have played the world champions New Zealand twice.

That pressure meant that when England won a penalty in front of the posts, Zoe Harrison chose to kick for points for the first time during these internationals.

However, England did shut out Canada in the second half, and they will head to Worcester to take on fellow North Americans the USA with that unbeaten run at the front of their minds.

For captain Hunter, their year as world number one is a source of pride, but it would pale in comparison to an even greater honour.

She said: “To be the best team currently in the world is something that we really take immense pride in.

“It takes a lot of hard work from not only the players but the staff around us to put us in the right place and to drive us forward. As a collective, as a whole, we really pride ourselves on that.

“It's something where we want to stay at the top of it and we know people come chasing us hard and so every time we go out, we want to put in a performance that's worthy of that.

“But it's something where we're immensely proud of and obviously we want to go that one bit further next year and be world champions which is the ultimate test and the ultimate honour.”

England will have to wait until the Six Nations next year to see if they can better their longest run of 21 wins set between 1992 and 1997.

But the testing victory over Canada at Twickenham Stoop has set them well on their way to making history.