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Women's Rugby World Cup
England: Third place
How England performed
The Red Roses finished third at the 1998 Women's Rugby World Cup, with all of their matches played in Amsterdam. Under head coach E. Field and captain Paula George, England began with two emphatic wins, 75–0 against Sweden and 72–6 against Canada, then beat Australia 30–13 to reach the semi-finals.
There, New Zealand beat England 44–11, ending their defence of the title they had won in 1994. England closed the tournament with a second meeting with Canada, in the third-place play-off on 16 May, and won it 31–15 to secure third place. Their record was four wins and one defeat from five matches, with 219 points scored and 78 conceded; 147 of those points came in the opening two matches alone.
England fixtures
Sweden 0–75 England England won
England tries: Nicky Crawford, Helen Clayton, Trudi Collins, Claire Frost, Paula George, Jo Poore, Terri Siwek, Nicky Crawford, Jo Poore, Terri Siwek, Nicky Crawford, Nicky Crawford, Nicky Crawford
Sweden tries: None
Canada 6–72 England England won
England tries: Susie Appleby, Nicky Crawford, Gillian Burns, Trudi Collins, Paula George, Jayne Molyneux, Penalty try, Trudi Collins, Jayne Molyneux, Penalty try, Jayne Molyneux, Jayne Molyneux
Canada tries: None
Australia 13–30 England England won
England tries: Linda Uttley, Emma Mitchell, Paula George, Joanne Yapp, Nicky Crawford
Australia tries: Sharon Carson
New Zealand 44–11 England England lost
England tries: Jayne Molyneux
New Zealand tries: Vanessa Cootes, Kellie Kiwi, Anna Richards, Vanessa Cootes, Annaleah Rush, Annaleah Rush 48'
Canada 15–31 England England won
England tries: Susie Appleby, Nicky Crawford, Sue Day, Paula George, Kate Knight, Emma Mitchell, Jayne Molyneux, Joanne Yapp, Susie Appleby, Sue Day, Paula George, Sue Day, Sue Day
Canada tries: Sarah Hall, Josée Lacasse
England statistics
Full England squad
| Player | Pos | Club | Tries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Kathryn Appleby | Half-back | Saracens | 3 |
| Nicola Brown | ?? | Worcester | – |
| Gillian Ann Burns | ?? | Waterloo | 1 |
| Janice Jones | ?? | – | |
| Helen Clayton | Flanker | Saracens | 1 |
| Trudi Collins | ?? | Saracens | 3 |
| Susan Margaret Day | Wing | Wasps | 4 |
| Maxine Edwards | ?? | Saracens | – |
| Claire Frost | ?? | Saracens | 1 |
| Paula George C | ?? | Wasps (c) | 5 |
| Claire Green | ?? | Saracens | – |
| Katherine Knight | CE | Old Leamingtonians | 1 |
| Emma Mitchell | ?? | Saracens | 2 |
| Jayne Molyneux | ?? | Waterloo | 6 |
| Teresa Jane O'Reilly | ?? | Saracens | – |
| Nicola Jane Ponsford | ?? | Saracens | – |
| Joanna Poore | ?? | Richmond | 2 |
| Giselle Prangnell | ?? | – | |
| Sarah Robertson | ?? | Leeds | – |
| Janis Ross | ?? | Saracens | – |
| Terri Siwek | ?? | Richmond | 2 |
| Jennifer Watkinson | ?? | – | |
| Pip Atkinson | Wing | Clifton | – |
| Georgia Ruth Stevens | ?? | Clifton | – |
| Linda Uttley | ?? | Wasps | 1 |
| Joanne Yapp | Scrum-half | Worcester | 2 |
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