England Women moved to within one win of the Grand Slam as Jess Breach scored two tries in a 55-0 win over Italy at Sandy Park.
In front of a packed crowd in Exeter of 10,545, the record for a Women’s Six Nations match in England, the first 20 minutes were tight.
However once England stepped it up in the scrum and at the breakdown they were able to overpower their opponents.
Breach got England on the board after 13 minutes following some good build-up play. Sarah Bern had threatened just before and was dragged down just short of the line but when the ball was recycled, Breach had a simple run-in. Zoe Harrison converted from out wide.
Italy had a chance to respond, but Beatrice Rigoni and Aura Muzzo were not on the same wavelength after a fine initial break.
Muzzo showed her defensive prowess a few minutes later, producing a brilliant try-saving tackle when Breach looked to be in for her second.
England were finding it tough to find a way through but just after the half-hour there was to be no stopping them from a maul. Lark Davies was the player to get the ball down, with Katy Daley-Mclean adding the conversion.
And just before half-time they had a third, Sarah Hunter forcing the ball over after Marlie Packer had been stopped just short. Daley-Mclean’s conversion made it 21-0 at the break.
The bonus point followed immediately after half-time, Bern with ab bulldozing run after a clever lineout to crash over.
And five minutes later Packer, from just up the road in Yeovil, was in support for Hunter’s clever offload for the fifth try.
On the hour England went back to their maul, with prop Vickii Cornborough getting the try, with Breach then adding her second with a fine run down the right three minutes later.
The maul had worked wonders for England throughout and they added another try six minutes from time through second row Abbie Scott this time.
And England were not done there, replacement Vicky Fleetwood bringing up the half-century with the final play of the game.
With 20 points from a possible 20 so far, England are within touching distance of the title ahead of the visit of Scotland next weekend when they could claim a second Grand Slam in three years.
