Hyett delighted by resilient England in Six Nations Women's Summer Series opener
England captain Millie Hyett was pleased with the way her side showed resilience during their 31-17 win over a valiant Scotland in their opening match of the 2025 Six Nations Women's Summer Series.
Tries from Player of the Match Joia Bennett, Grace Clifford, Lucy Simpson, Amelia MacDougall and Molly Luthayi were enough to seal the win at the Centre for Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly.
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But England were pushed all the way by Scotland, who battled hard for 80 minutes and continually refused to let their opponents get away from them in the scoring, as Holly McIntyre, Emily Norval and Poppy Mellanby all crossed over.
And while the final scoreline looks like it was a comfortable win for England, Hyett explained there were plenty of times when her side had to dig deep to hold Scotland at bay.
'I'm really pleased with the girls and the result,' said the 20-year-old.
'We definitely had to fight for it. There were moments in the game where we weren't where we wanted to be, but I think the fight and the desire that we all have, one to 23 right through the squad, is what got us over the line in the end.'
Hyett, who tasted PWR [Premiership Women's Rugby] glory with Gloucester Hartpury earlier this year, also said how England's gameplan was always to take the game to Scotland and was delighted by the way the backs and forwards combined.
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'We spoke all week about being direct, playing with intent and beating the other team physicality wise, and I think when we did that.
'We earned the right to go wide, and we scored a lot of tries out there. That just proved that when the forwards do a great job, our backs can then reward our forwards.'
Next up for England is a clash against Italy, who fell 46-5 to France in their opening game of the tournament, but Hyett is not underestimating the challenge they'll pose on July 11.
'Italy is a new game on a new day,' she added.
'This game is done and over with and it's on to the next job.
'Italy will be a tough challenge, definitely.
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'[Against France], they showed that they can be very physical, but also, they are very quick, and they have a lot of threats around the park.
'For us, it'll be how we manage that whilst also focussing on ourselves.'
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