England Saxons (33) 66
Tries: Ellis 2, Powell, Varndell 2, Cato, Waldouck, Smith, Crane Cons: Barnes 5, Goode 3

Portugal (0) 0

Tom Varndell's pace was a constant danger for the Saxons

England Saxons shrugged off a slow start to record an emphatic 10-try victory over an spirited but outclassed Portugal side at Edgeley Park.

The home side took nearly 20 minutes to open the scoring with a pushover try finished off by scrum-half Harry Ellis.

Further scores from Adam Powell, Tom Varndell, Ellis and Noah Cato gave the Saxons a 33-0 half-time lead.

And the tries came thick and fast after the break as England's superior fitness told against Portugal's brave amateurs.

Varndell looked to have set the tone for the Saxons with a strong run inside the opening minute which saw him beat three defenders.

But sloppy errors undermined England's efforts, with Ellis - returning to action after a six-week suspension - throwing an interception pass when deep in Portugal territory.

The dam finally burst when England's bigger, heavier and more powerful pack trundled towards the line at the scrum to allow Ellis an easy score.

It was more or less one-way traffic from then on, as Portugal's players struggled to cope with the intensity of their full-time professional opponents.

A period of sustained Portugal pressure at the start of the second half failed to yield a try, and England took advantage with scores from Dominic Waldouck, Matt Smith, Varndell, Jordan Crane and Powell.

The Saxons are likely to face a more difficult test against Ireland A in Dublin on 6 February.

England Saxons: Abendanon, Varndell, Waldouck, Powell, Cato, Barnes, Ellis, Cole, Webber, Wilson, Crane, Skivington, Myall, Saull, Dowson.

Portugal: Cabral, Esteves, D. Mateus, Mira, Foro, D. Pinto, J. Pinto, Segurado, Correia, Mure, Severino, G. Uva, Acosta, Palha, J. Uva.

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