Ireland and South Africa achieved their highest Women's Rugby World Cup scores in their opening matches on Sunday. Ireland thrashed Japan 42-14 and, in the second game of the Northampton doubleheader,

(Reuters) -Ireland eased to a 42-14 victory over Japan to get their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign off to an excellent start on Sunday, while South Africa claimed a 66-6 win against debutants Brazil thanks to a hat-trick of tries by No.

The bottom line for Ireland was overwhelmingly positive after a bonus-point victory over Japan to start their World Cup campaign, claiming six tries in front of an Irish-dominated crowd at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton.