England began their Women's Rugby League World Cup campaign in Perth with a commanding 70-6 victory over Group A debutants Wales after recovering from an early setback.
For a brief moment in the opening ten minutes, Wales enjoyed a dream start when Paige Travis forced her way over the try line to level the scores following a series of unforced English errors. The unexpected concession served as a wake-up call for Stu Barrow's side, who are targeting their first-ever World Cup final appearance after previously shutting out the same opponents in earlier encounters.
England responded swiftly and ruthlessly, establishing a commanding seven-try lead by the interval to put any thoughts of a major upset to bed. Amelia Brown opened the scoring with a slick three-minute move, and although Wales briefly drew level, Georgia Wilson soon restored order by touching down in the corner.
Hollie-Mae Dodd played a central role in subsequent attacking plays, setting up debutant Connie Boyd for her first try before adding one of her own after Fran Goldthorp was halted just short. Further scores flowed before the break, with Boyd crossing again and wing Anna Davies racing more than half the length of the pitch to score under the posts, followed by an Izzy Rowe try that made it 40-6 at half-time.
The onslaught continued relentlessly in the second half as another debutant, Jasmin Strange, joined the try scorers, and Rowe claimed her second of the match. The afternoon was truly encapsulated by England's tenth try when an attacking Welsh kick bounced favorably for Brown behind her own try line, allowing her to sprint 109 metres down the field for one of the longest-range tries in the history of the women's game.
Late scores from Boyd and Davies sealed the emphatic win in the final five minutes. Rowe finished with a personal tally of 26 points, equaling the individual record for an England player in a World Cup fixture, while Wales were ultimately undone by a lack of defensive resistance despite showing flashes of promise going forward.