NICK CAIN
England showed great dignity – captain Sarah Hunter in particular – after being beaten 34-31 by New Zealand in a cliffhanger of a women’s World Cup final last week.
England gave a very good account of themselves, especially after being reduced to 14 for the last hour after Lydia Thompson’s red card.
However, ultimately their 30-match unbeaten run was halted because they did not have a good enough all-court game.
The warning signs that they were over-reliant on the driving maul were there in the narrow wins over France and the Canadian part-timers.
By contrast, New Zealand’s renais...