England became the inaugural WXV1 champions with a 33-12 win over world champions New Zealand in Auckland.

The Red Roses capitalised on a fine start against the Black Ferns to end as the WXV top tier’s only unbeaten team.

Facing the side that beat them in last year’s World Cup final, England started quickly with tries from Alex Matthews, Lark Atkin-Davies and Sarah Bern.

Following the disappointment of their World Cup final defeat by New Zealand in November 2022, England have bounced back in superb style with a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 games during a transitional 2023.

Simon Middleton’s reign ended with a Six Nations Grand Slam, capped off with a narrow victory over France in front of more than 58,000 people at Twickenham.

Interim head coach Louis Deacon oversaw two Test victories over Canada before WXV and has been at the helm in New Zealand, with incoming head coach John Mitchell linking up with the Red Roses after completing his duties with Japan’s men at the Rugby World Cup.

Moving forward, the Six Nations gets under way in March and there will be another chance for the Red Roses to showcase their talent at Twickenham against Ireland on 20 April.

Twickenham could also stage another rematch of the World Cup final, with talks held between the two respective nations regarding a standalone fixture next year. The long-term aim is to build momentum heading into the 2025 Rugby World Cup, which England will host.