England 97-7 Spain: Marlie Packer red card increases Red Roses intrigue

As she wandered back into the home dressing room, her young son leading the way, her new fiancee by her side and the evening sun on her back, Marlie Packer had a smile on her face.

But it was perhaps not quite as broad as it might have been.

For an hour of England’s 97-7 win over Spain, Packer was everywhere. Hitting lines and opponents, cantering in the open and grinding hard in the tight.

After the match, head coach John Mitchell described her performance as “outstanding”, adding: “That’s the way that she plays the game and when you see her play it like that, she’s on fire.”

Packer had admitted on the eve of the match that this game meant a lot.

It wasn’t necessarily the opponents or the stage.

England will play against better teams than an outclassed Spain and in front of bigger crowds than the 5,286 who filled one stand at Welford Road.

But being restored to the captaincy, albeit for one afternoon in Zoe Aldcroft’s absence, on the brink of a home World Cup, was a big moment for one of only four survivors – along with Emily Scarratt, Alex Matthews and Natasha Hunt – from England’s success at the 2014 tournament.

The clearout of Claudia Pena that spelt an early end to Packer’s afternoon was clumsy, rather than malicious.

However, the big-screen sight of her shoulder folding the Spanish full-back’s leg was a video nasty that referee Aurelie Groizelau ultimately couldn’t ignore. She showed red.