Nice one, Sunderland!

Last night saw the Women's Rugby World Cup opening game between England and USA at The Stadium of Light. I made the decision to go and it was the right one, I'll look a bit through the game and the opportunity that now presents itself to rugby union in the north east.

The build up

I got the metro through from Newcastle to Sunderland and yes it was a bit crowded but to me it wasn't too much of a pain. Although I do think when the Washington loop is eventually built this will help to improve transport for major events in Sunderland. I got to the ground for around 18:30 and the majority of the turnstiles had huge queues which was great to see. Luckily for me, my turnstile to the top tier didn't have a queue so I was straight into the ground.

Got myself a pie and a soft drink, I still can't understand why my soft drink couldn't remain in the plastic bottle and was transferred into a plastic cup but there we go! Then I took my seat as the first announcement of the teams were made, the noise was incredible. One noticeable thing was the family atmosphere within the ground and the appreciation for both teams. There was also a good vocal contingent of USA supporters, admittedly in the second half that dropped off a bit. The long and short of it was it was a party atmosphere and Sunderland brought it big time!

The one thing I didn't get was why there was no singer to lead the national anthem, I think it caught the crowd by surprise as the anthem just started and people realised by the second line!

Before the teams came out

The game

England ended up winning, convincingly turning a 28-7 half time lead into a comprehensive 69-7 victory. The worrying thing for England's rivals is I feel there's so much more to come from England in this tournament. The pack led the way with a powerful performance that the USA just couldn't live with. That allowed Ellie Kildunne who was named player of the match to make some serious running meters and send The Stadium of Light rocking.

England's set piece dominance is something they'll need to continue as they get further into the tournament. Someone who I thought must've been very close to player of the match was Meg Jones the powerful outside centre who was excellent last night and will become a key component for the red roses as they get further into the tournament.

England did really well to counter the threat of Ilona Maher who had one or two big carries but the English defence worked hard to nullify her threat.

There are two areas I saw to work on for England especially against stronger opposition are going to be kick off receipt and the clearance kicking in open play. The first I think is going to be quite an easy fix but if they don't sort it out stronger teams will capitalise. The kicking in open play at times last night allowed the USA time to make ground and counter, at times the poor kicks were taken advantage of. Against stronger teams poor kicking is going to lead to pressure on the defence.

Action from The Stadium of Light

The good was definitely the set piece, England's scrum was dominant all evening and the mauls from the lineout created tries. Next up for England is Samoa next Saturday who could bring physicality and in that sense is a dangerous game for England.

Time for a try celebration clock

The Red Roses are a team that like to express themselves, one thing that got me last night was the sixty second shot clock doesn't really give that time following a try. I get the need to try and keep the game sped up, but could World Rugby trial a try celebration clock? It wouldn't have to be all that long but this just boosts connectivity between fans and players. If they trialled it in the next Women's Six Nations you could even have a social media poll for celebration of the tournament, get it sponsored and the winning celebration gets to donate money to charity or something along those lines. The digital side of the game is growing all the time and these kind of things shouldn't be discounted.

Legacy

You can't hide the fact that 42,723 turning up to Sunderland on a Friday night has to be an overwhelming success for women's rugby, but given the huge growth of the women's game it can't stop there. There's an opportunity right now that has to be seized for rugby union in the north east. Ever since Darlington Mowden Park Sharks were kicked out of the women's elite game there hasn't been a north east elite team and now is the time for that to change.

Red Bulls

With the takeover and name change at Newcastle Red Bulls there's now an opportunity for a properly funded women's elite team in the north east. Red Bull have the opportunity to put their mark on and take the women's game to a whole new level. Looking around last night there could be kids in that stadium who in eight or twelve years time have had the chance to go through the Red Bull academy, with world class training facilities and be representing the Red Roses at a World Cup. Now that would be a legacy.

Stadium growth

The red roses generally play one game a year at Twickenham and the rest at rugby club grounds. Maybe it's time to keep breaking through the ceiling of the women's game. Last time they were in the north east, they played at Kingston Park and were delighted to sell out with 10,000 in attendance. Last night saw 42,723 turn up which is huge. I'd love to see big events with Six Nations fixtures on the road and think England at St James Park, Everton's new stadium, The Etihad in Manchester those kind of stadiums can attract big numbers and bigger than what they currently get. There would still be a Twickenham game but I like how the Red Roses get around the country.

Overall

It was a great night in Sunderland and as I've said an overwhelming success. There are bigger challenges to come for the Red Roses in this tournament but I think they'll be happy to get this first game done and know there are areas for improvement. Occasion wise, again this shows what the north east can bring to major sporting events. I hope we find a way to keep attracting these kind of events up here and continue to grow the game in the region. The Red Roses are brilliant role models and hopefully last night has inspired more people to pick up a rugby ball. Red Bull you have an opportunity here, it's time to seize it.