England defeated Australia 48-15 at Manchester’s CorpAcq Stadium on August 12, 2026, recovering from a half-time deficit in their opening match of the inaugural WXV Global Series to extend their international winning run to 39 matches.
The world champions faced an unfamiliar challenge in Salford, entering the half-time interval trailing 10-5 after a competitive opening period.
First-Half Resistance and the Wallaroos Lead
Australia capitalised on early English errors in front of a crowd of 9,251 at CorpAcq Stadium, the home of Premiership side Sale Sharks. Samantha Wood opened the scoring with a penalty goal in the third minute to establish control of field position for the visitors.
England struggled to convert their early territorial advantages into points. Captain Meg Jones had an opening-minute try disallowed for an offside infringement following a charge-down. The Red Roses eventually broke through when back-rower Abi Burton crossed for the opening try while Wood served a sin-bin for a deliberate knock-down.
The Wallaroos responded immediately. Following a stolen lineout on England’s five-metre line, prop Faliki Pohiva powered over to reclaim the lead. Solid goal-line defence held the line for Australia, sending the underdogs into the changing rooms with a surprising 10-5 advantage.
Second-Half Surge and Seven-Try Response
Head coach John Mitchell’s side delivered an emphatic response after the interval, scoring 43 points in a dominant second half. The turnaround began in the 47th minute when hooker May Campbell surged over from the back of a rolling maul to seize a lead England would not relinquish.
A ferocious 20-minute spell saw the hosts tear through the Australian defence. Meg Jones, Bryony Field, Mia Venner, and Sadia Kabeya all crossed the whitewash in quick succession. Impact substitutions from the bench, particularly returning prop Hannah Botterman, kept the momentum firmly with the world champions.
Further tries from Lucy Packer and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald compounded Australia’s difficulties, offsetting a yellow card for Eva Karpani and a late try by Asoiva Karpani. The final scoreline stretched to 48-15, though the margin did not entirely tell the story of the contest’s demanding opening hour.
“I don’t think that scoreline is a reflection of what the game was. We didn’t finish the way that we wanted to, but we’ll take a lot of positives…We’re going to take a lot of confidence against a world-class team like that.”
Siokapesi Palu Sekona, Australia captain
John Mitchell Assesses the Pre-Season Reality
Speaking after the match, Mitchell downplayed concerns over the half-time deficit, categorising the fixture as a necessary test for his squad ahead of a demanding international calendar.
“It was the first pre-season game of the year where we had the reality of playing rugby and had to solve [problems], which is good for us. It is an absolute joke if you are worried about being down 10-5. More important is how we worked our way back into it.”
John Mitchell, England head coach
The fixture marked the opening round of the newly established WXV Global Series, which replaces the former WXV competition for the 2026–2028 cycle. The tournament features the top 12 international teams playing across fixed fixtures without promotion or relegation, serving as preparation for the 2029 World Cup in Australia.
Next Fixtures in the WXV Global Series
England face a quick turnaround before their next assignment. The Red Roses travel to Exeter’s Sandy Park to play Canada on September 19, in the teams’ first meeting since the 2025 World Cup final. Mitchell’s squad will then meet New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on September 26, before embarking on a tour of Canada and the United States in October.
Meanwhile, Australia look to regroup as they prepare to face France next weekend, carrying the experience of their first-half performance into the remainder of the series.
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