Women's Six Nations: England win gives me 'good problems' - Middleton

Simon Middleton chuckled when it was suggested his rotated England team's 12-try win over Italy had given him dilemmas rather than any answers.

"We have got plenty to think about I can tell you that," the coach said.

"We were outstanding today. I thought our physical effort was so intense that it probably made them look pretty ordinary and they are not.

"We have massive selection choices. We have invested a lot in the depth of the squad so we can have these problems."

Middleton stated before the Women's Six Nations that he would share game time around his squad in the first three rounds as England prepare for a likely decisive final-weekend showdown with main rivals France and a Rugby World Cup campaign starting in October.

Scrum-half Natasha Hunt, 33, was one of those to make her case to Middleton as she marked her first international since November 2020 with a lively performance and player-of-the-match award.

"She brought a great tempo, sharp as a tack, you saw that down the short side when she set up Sarah McKenna for the first try," said Middleton of Hunt.

"She was always buzzing, always alive, a great passing game, a threat on the ball, but then again Lucy Packer came on and fizzed around and her passing is great.

"Leanne Infante had a big game last week [in the 57-5 win over Scotland] so we have three scrum-halves in really good form. "

Hunt, part of the team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2014, said she was not looking much beyond enjoying her rugby.

"I loved it. It's been amazing to be back with the girls and throwing the ball around with my mates. I love playing with quick ball," she told BBC Two.

"My big aim was to raise the tempo and keep driving that and if I've managed to do it, I've done my job. That back line was ridiculous today, so playing a part in it, was brilliant."

There was also a recall to the international stage for Harlequins prop Shaunagh Brown, who marked her return with her first England try.

"It has been a while for me and there is always a point to prove, especially through non-selection," she said on England's Twitter page.

"I just had a lot of grit and grind in my teeth to perform for everyone else and myself."

On her try, she added: "It wasn't pretty but someone has to grind and hit those rucks and put their head into three or four people and make half a metre each time.

"I'm happy with my own performance and there are a lot of smiles around."

England's stunning form continues

England's last defeat before their current 20-match winning run was a 28-13 defeat by world champions New Zealand in September 2019.

The Black Ferns also hold the record for the longest run of consecutive Test wins at 24.

Italy were never going to end England's streak, and the stats show just how dominant they were:

• England spent almost four times more time in Italy's half than Italy managed in England territory

• England had 71% of possession

• Italy attempted 250 tackles, 176 more than the visitors were required to make

• England beat 39 defenders, Italy managed only four

But perhaps of more interest to Middleton were the individual player statistics.

Only wing Lydia Thompson, who scored a hat-trick, managed more metres in hand than flanker Alex Matthews' 141m, as the Worcester Warriors back row staked her claim in another highly competitive area.

Number eight Poppy Cleall carried a prodigious 22 times in just 67 minutes on the pitch.

Centre Emily Scarratt provided a reminder of her enduring class with her first Test try since her return from a broken leg, and her 50th since making her England debut as a teenager in 2008.

With the likes of world player of the year Zoe Aldcroft on their way back to full fitness, Middleton is only going to have more of those "good problems" to solve over the next few weeks and months.

Next weekend it will be Wales trying to stop his all-conquering world number one team marching to a 21st win in a row.