Six Nations Women: England show Scots no mercy

Conor O’Shea admitted Quins were fortunate to beat Wasps (Getty Images)

England Women put their Six Nations title ambitions firmly back on track in Aberdeen with a dominant 10-try victory over Scotland in the second round on Sunday.

Feeling wounded after an opening championship 18-6 defeat to France last weekend, Gary Street’s side overcame a heavy pitch and a buoyant Scotland side to post 63 points without reply. The victory now sets England up for a significant clash against reigning Grand Slam champions Ireland at Twickenham on 22 February.

Meanwhile, Harlequins director of rugby Conor O’Shea accepted that his side were extremely fortunate to record an 11-10 victory over their London rivals Wasps yesterday. A lethargic Quins had to rely on a Sam Smith try two minutes from the end to deprive Wasps of a deserved victory. “The best team lost today without any doubt. We didn’t play with any shape or form and won’t play like that again,” said O’Shea.

Quins’ remaining points came from two penalties from Nick Evans and Ben Botica as they struggled to build up any momentum to their game. “We gave certain players a break during the LV=Cup period and unfortunately we didn’t hit the ground running,” O’Shea said. “We didn’t hold on to the ball well enough but all credit to the players for displaying mental toughness and hanging in there.”

The victory ensured Quins moved back up to fourth place in the standings after Leicester and Sale both won on Friday night. Northampton took advantage of Saracens’ surprise defeat to London Irish on Saturday to go to the top of the table by winning at Exeter.