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England continued their preparations for the women's Rugby World Cup by thrashing Wales 73-7 on Wednesday to become the first international side to win 25 matches in a row. England, led by captain Sarah Hunter, are unbeaten since July 2019 and head into the Oct. 8-Nov. 12 World Cup in New Zealand as favourites. The 'Red Roses' scored six tries in the first half against Wales before centre Helena Rowland completed her hat-trick after the break. The crowd observed a minute's silence to honour Queen Elizabeth II and there was applause after 70 minutes in recognition of her 70-year reign. Players of both teams wore black armbands and their shirts included a tribute to the queen. Head coach Simon Middleton is due to name the England squad for the World Cup on Tuesday. England won the World Cup in 1994 and 2014 and finished runners-up on five occasions, including at the last tournament in 2017, where they lost to New Zealand in the final. The upcoming edition of the World Cup was delayed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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