MacDonald brace helps England to win
By Mark Stevens
3/9/22
Exeter Chiefs star Claudia MacDonald helped herself to a try double as England Women claimed a record-breaking 24th Test win in a row as they saw off the USA 52-14 at Sandy Park.
MacDonald’s brace, along with scores from Jess Breach (2), Amy Cokayne (2), Natasha Hunt and Ellie Kildunne ensured it was a regulation win for Simon Middleton’s side in the first of two World Cup warm-up fixtures.
In reply, MacDonald’s new club-mates Hope Rogers and Gabby Cantorna both got on the scoresheet for the visitors, whose other score was a penalty try.
For the 26-year-old, who was later named player of the match, pulling on the England jersey again was certainly something to savour, particularly after she was told last November that her career could well have been finished after she suffered a serious neck injury.
Starting on the wing, rather than her normal position of scrum-half, MacDonald said post-game: "I wasn't necessarily planning for it so to be in the position to get a game under my belt was amazing and everything I could have wished for," she said.
"The last 24 hours have been really emotional, feeling excited and relieved. I'm so grateful to be back in this place and I couldn't have loved being out on the pitch any more.
"It's a clean slate and we just go from here and see what happens."
The victory in front of 10,907 Sandy Park fans makes the Red Roses the first top-tier international side to win 24 Tests in a row, with their last loss coming against New Zealand in July 2019.
England's second warm-up match will be against Wales in Bristol on September 14 and head coach Middleton will announce his World Cup squad - trimmed from the current 39 to 32 - on September 20.
Middleton says he "primarily" sees MacDonald as a scrum-half, where she faces competition in Hunt, Leanne Infante and Lucy Packer.
"You think where Claud was six months ago and where she was today - you're just so grateful," Middleton added. "She's a great athlete and she's really translated that into training, as have a number of players, then she backed that up in the game."
Asked about selection as a whole, Middleton continued: "We learned some really valuable lessons today and we'll definitely make some decisions off the back of today."
