Having spent an hour with 14 players because of Lydia Thompson’s red card, the Red Roses had a five-metre line-out from which to maul themselves to glory. Instead, Joanah Ngan-Woo rose just high enough to flick the ball out of Abbie Ward’s grasp.

Scrum-half Caity Mattinson says Scotland will have to match the physicality and "niggle" of Wales if they are to get their Women's Rugby World Cup campaign off to a winning start. The sides meet in the Pool B opener at the Salford Community Stadium on Saturday.

SUNDERLAND, England — Ilona Maher’s mission at the Women’s Rugby World Cup is about more than just winning games. Heading into the United States’ tournament opener on Friday, the world’s most followed rugby player on social media wants to get more eyeballs on the sport as it ramps up attempts to crack the market in America.