Valkyries duo help England Women win World Cup opener

Lydia Thompson crossed the whitewash as England Women swept to a 56-5 victory over Spain in their opening game of the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The Valkyries player went over for England’s final score of the match as her country racked up ten tries in a comprehensive victory.

Fellow Valkyrie and England’s record appearance maker Rochelle Clark also played a part in the game as she came off the bench in the second period.

Kay Wilson was the star of the show as she put England out of sight with a first-half hat-trick before adding her fourth after the break.

Megan Jones opened the scoring inside the first minute, while Emily Scarratt, Harriet Millar-Mills, Alex Matthews and Amy Cokayne all got their names on the scoresheet.

England continue their World Cup campaign on Sunday when they take on Italy in their second match of the competition.

Meanwhile Valkyries’ Dyddgu Hywel was on the pitch for just under an hour as her Wales side were defeated 44-12 by New Zealand in their opening game.

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