England defeated Australia 48-15 in the opening match of the WXV Global Series at CorpAcq Stadium in Salford. This was the first game for the world champions since they secured a record eighth consecutive Women's Six Nations title in May. Despite trailing 10-5 at halftime for the first time since 2020, England bounced back strongly in the second half, scoring seven tries to seal a convincing victory. Australia had taken the lead through a penalty by Samantha Wood and a try from Faliki Pohiva, while England's only try in the first half came from Abi Burton, though it was marred by several errors. After the break, England's coach John Mitchell's team dominated the match. In a powerful 20-minute stretch, May Campbell, Meg Jones, Bryony Field, Mia Venner, and Sadia Kabeya all crossed the try line, quickly putting Australia's hopes of a shock win out of reach. Lucy Packer and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald added to England's tally, with Australia scoring one more try through Asoiva Karpani. This victory extended England's unbeaten run to 39 matches, reinforcing their status as one of the top teams in women's rugby. The WXV Global Series has replaced the previous WXV competition, with England having won both editions of the top-tier section, WXV1, in 2023 and 2024. Running from 2026 to 2028, the series features the world's top 12 teams and aims to provide more competitive matches ahead of the 2029 Women's Rugby World Cup in Australia. This format is designed to test and prepare the best teams for the global stage. England's next match in the WXV Global Series will be against Canada at Exeter's Sandy Park, marking the first meeting since England's victory in last year's Rugby World Cup final. They will then conclude the home leg of the series against New Zealand at Allianz Stadium on 26 September. The line-ups and officials for the match were also confirmed, with referee Aurelie Groizeleau of France overseeing the game alongside assistant referees and a television match official from other nations.