Simon Middleton: Criticism of red roses in England was frustrating | ‘Australia’s Rugby World Cup quarter poses a challenge’ | rugby union news

Red Roses coach Simon Middleton has admitted his frustration with the criticism his team has received following their World Cup victory over France, adding that the task of facing Australia in the quarter-finals will be a challenge.

England beat their first appearance in the tournament Fiji 84-19, France 13-7 and South Africa 75-0 on their way to the quarter-finals.

However, with him being an overwhelming favorite to win the World Cup in New Zealand, criticism has mounted for the way they delivered the victory over the Blues – something Middleton admits frustrating.

“Very elated,” Middleton said. Sky Sports In response to a question on Monday about his assessment of the team’s performance in the World Cup so far.

“Obviously our initial goal was to get out of the group stage, and we’ve done very well so far.

“We are pleased to have reached quarters.

“France is a great team, a great defensive team.

Middleton admits his frustration at the criticism his team received at the World Cup

“It was one of those matches where we probably didn’t dominate France for as long as we did in this game, in terms of space and possession, but we didn’t finish it. We had our chances.

“We created opportunities, we didn’t finish them, we know that, and you always have things to work on.

“But I generally thought our game was really strong, and we didn’t really pay attention to France.

“I think they got to our 22 for 13 seconds, when we had about 13 minutes into their turn, so it’s a little frustrating that people didn’t like some of the other parts of the management game.

The French defense line prevailed in many respects as England won by a narrow margin

“And I also thought it was a little difficult for France because they are a great team. They are probably the best defensive team in the world.

“So that was frustrating.”

Emily Scarrat proved to be the difference between the two teams, as she scored and scored pinpoint accuracy in the shoe

Middleton: Australia in the quarter-finals is a difficult challenge

England will meet in the quarter-finals next Sunday, and despite being favourites, Middleton refuses to look too far ahead.

“First of all Australia is in the World Cup which is fantastic. The competition between England and Australia in any sport is fantastic, so it would be fantastic.

“We don’t often get the chance to play against certain teams from the southern hemisphere. We haven’t played for Australia since 2017 [a 53-10 win].

“They started very well. They play a very big kind of rugby and beat hosts New Zealand 17-0 in no time in their opening match. [Black Ferns eventually winning 41-17] So we know it’s going to be really hard.

Middleton looked forward to the World Cup quarter-final match against Australia and said the Lionesses continue to inspire his team.

“They have a very good showing, a lot of talent, a good influence from the Sevens which you can see expanding their game, so it will be a huge challenge.”

While Middleton admits he never had the chance to personally speak to Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman – who was in New Zealand during the Red Roses’ recent pool game against South Africa – he once again confirmed how England women’s soccer provided his side with a huge inspiration.

“We haven’t had a chance to talk to him. [Sarina Wiegman] Firsthand, but we definitely took a lot of inspiration.

“We saw how they are [Lionesses] They ran their tournament, and we discussed as a group of coaches, how they used their team.

“I spoke to psychologist Kate Hayes, just to see how strong they have been as a team throughout the tournament, and we definitely learned from that.

“We had some really great ideas, and it would be great to connect with them [Wiegman] After the World Cup and chat tournaments.”