RWC2025 | England head coach John Mitchell, captain Marlie Packer and Helena Rowland speak in the aftermath of their 92-3 win

England head coach John Mitchell, captain Marlie Packer and Mastercard Player of the Match Helena Rowland speak in the aftermath of their 92-3 win over Samoa in Pool A at Franklin's Garden which guaranteed a place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.

John Mitchell, head coach

On what he liked about the win:

"I loved their energy at the start. I thought they were very clinical. They stuck to the process for as long as they could. It's very difficult in those circumstances ,when you build a scoreboard early it's easy to get loose. Clearly we did at times but we were able to get back on process.

"I thought we were quite consistent. I'm really thrilled. I think there were 11 World Cup debutantes today so it's huge. I think we've got everyone started in the tournament except Holly [Aitchison]."

On trying out different playing combinations:

"We are very fortunate that we have the luxury of depth but the tournament injury gods will play their part at some point. They already have with us, so we've had to manage that already. I think our squad depth is exceptional - just look at the quality of some of the players tonight and some of the performances."

Marlie Packer, captain

On the scenes on the pitch after the match with England and Samoa players celebrating:

"Today the way we could most respect Samoa was to go out and play the Red Roses way. I think we did that as a squad. I hope they enjoyed this atmosphere here in Northampton. Both teams went at it for 80 minutes. I couldn't be more proud of the Red Roses but also Samoa."

On how special it is to have the captain's armband on again:

"It's always special but for me it's being out here playing with the girls, doing what I love doing, whether I've got the armband on or not. It's about the squad. I loved every minute of it."

On what's next:

"We are keeping on building as the tournament goes on. All week the conditions were meant to be wet and we had sunshine all week, and then getting here match day, it was wet, the ball was like a bar of soap at times. We did what we said we wanted to do, though we took our foot off the gas but it was about resetting and getting on to the track we wanted to be on."

Mastercard Player of the Match Helena Rowland

On the performance:

"Very pleased. The conditions weren't really in our favour but we adapted to that and played some nice rugby at times, put them in the corners. With a squad that had so many changes you couldn't really tell - it felt cohesive and that's what we wanted to achieve."

On how special it was for her to play at Franklin's Gardens:

"I love playing at Frankin's Gardens, whether that's in club colours or England colours, it's always incredibly special. I love the crowd here, it's always a great atmosphere. So, to come in, play 10 and hopefully do a decent job, that was my aim."

On there being 13,500 fans in the stadium:

"It's a pretty decent turnout given the conditions. It really counts. In those moments when we're chasing kicks back, it's the crowd that gets us through, so thank you very much."