The Wallaroos were no match for England as they were convincingly defeated 47-7 in Brighton.
It was enough to secure their spot in the quarter-finals against Canada, unable to build on a promising first 30 minutes.
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So what did we learn?
The Wallaroos’ place in the quarter-finals was basically sealed when Samoa held the USA to a 60-point margin, but they didn’t take anything for granted early.
The performance in the first quarter during defeat will fill the team with confidence as their attention turns to Canada, but they know they need to do it for longer after fizzling out to finish the game.
The Canadians were a class above in the Pacific Four series in Brisbane but the Wallaroos have come a long way since.
Expect the Aussies to throw everything at Canada.
England were far from their best in the first quarter, though it didn’t matter.
They were ruthless after the slow start and punished any small mistake the Australians gifted them.
Flyhalf Zoe Harrison was strong with her distribution while the pack monstered the Wallaroos at set-piece time, scoring six straight tries.
It’s going to take a full 80-minute performance to knock them off.
The Wallaroos may not be around in the late stages of the competition; however, they might have just provided the blueprint for a team to conquer the unstoppable English.
There was a clear plan to target Jess Breach’s wing with their kicking game, and it delivered in spades with three 50/22s in the first half.
While the English defence held strong on all occasions, it’s a trend that opposition coaches will be nothing heading into the knock-out stages.
The magnitude of this game has been reflected with the people in the crowd as royalty descend on Brighton.
The Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton, was among the high-profile guests, with the patron of English Rugby taking in the action.
It showed the true power of Rugby in the country as a packed-out crowd filled a Premier League Stadium.
It came after Prince William took in Wales’ tight loss to Fiji earlier in the day.
Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp may have a serious dilemma on her hands.
Prop Lydia Kavoa’s potential tournament-ending knee injury offers the chance for Yapp to recall Sevens superstar Charlotte Caslick for the quarter-finals.
Caslick’s facilitating ability would be a massive difference for a Wallaroos side that has struggled to unleash Player of the Year Maya Stewart all tournament.
The risk is that it leaves you a front-rower short in practice, and if someone else goes off.
But is it worth it for what could just be a week?
