England Centre Meg Jones admits that a nervous semi-final victory in France was “exactly what she needed” ahead of next week’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final.
The Red Rose booked tickets to the seventh straight final in a 35-17 victory at Bristol, but the scoreline suggests it was an easier afternoon than the hosts.
France dominated the ball with 61% possession and England were more clinical, but they were forced to work for success, making 231 tackles in France’s 90.
Jones said that she was her usual destructive self with four turnovers, but that was the kind of battle her side was looking for before the final.
“I asked one thing from the girl. It was you to choose whether to hit the person next to you and inspire them,” Jones told the media. “100% of the time I think that’s exactly what we need. Everyone is going to comment on how we play and what the game looks like, but please tell us what the defensive set sums us up.
“We have so many hearts and desires for this team and we enjoy what we’re doing. Hopefully there’s a good celebration there. We’re going to enjoy the game as much as we can.
“The pressure is already so don’t make it too big. Let’s enjoy what it is.”
Canada is waiting for next week’s exhibition and is exciting for Jones, with the prospect of winning the World Cup at home in front of 80,000 fans at Twickenham.
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“I kept my tears down (after the semi-finals) because I think it’s everything we were looking for,” Jones said. “That’s a big deal for us. I think the biggest thing we do is inspire countries and little girls and boys who are very proud of what we have built and what we continue to build.
“We enjoy the moments we spent together, there are so many songs, we go back to it in person (Sunday) and know it’s going to be a big recovery day, a big week.
“We’ve made another week and we’ll go again.”