Women's Six Nations 2022: England head coach Simon Middleton 'frustrated' despite big win over Scotland
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Women's Six Nations: England run in nine tries against Scotland
England head coach Simon Middleton was left "frustrated" by his "rusty" side despite opening the Women's Six Nations with a 57-5 victory in Scotland.
The Red Roses' depth of talent ensured a dominant win as they seek a fourth successive title but their hosts put up a strong fight in Edinburgh.
England scored nine tries and could have had more were it not for several handling mishaps.
"There were errors we shouldn't have made," Middleton said.
"I am a little bit frustrated. We'll get to the bottom of it and we'll be better in our next game. We weren't quite at the level we wanted to be."
Asked to explain why England were not at the clinical heights reached in their back-to-back record wins against world champions New Zealand last autumn, Middleton said there was "a bit of rustiness" having not played for four months.
He added that the hearty resistance put up by Scotland is proof "we are set for a great Six Nations", with England and France dominating the tournament in recent years.
"If people think England are going to have it all their own way they can forget about it," he said.
Record crowd 'shows how far we've come'
Both sides enjoyed vocal support at Edinburgh's DAM Health Stadium
The Women's Six Nations is once again taking place in its own window, separate from the men's tournament.
That, combined with Scotland's momentum after they qualified for the World Cup in February, could explain the record crowd in Edinburgh.
The attendance of 3,988 is the most ever for a Scotland Women home game, and head coach Bryan Easson said it "shows how far we've come".
"That's not happening by accident, that is happening because of the performances we have put in on the field," he added.
England captain Sarah Hunter agreed, saying: "I can't think of a better atmosphere we've had in Scotland. It was loud and a great crowd to play in front of."
'You have to take chances' against world number ones
The crowd and the challenge offered to England may be reasons for Scotland to celebrate, but the scoreline is not.
Easson said his side "gave too much respect" to the Red Roses, who are top of the world rankings and have now won 19 consecutive games.
"We created four or five chances in the first half but when you are playing against the best sides you can't afford unforced errors," Easson explained.
"You have got to be able to take those chances."
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