England made it three wins from three with a comfortable 22-5 victory over Ireland, but Kate O’Loughlin was the first to cross their try line since their November win over New Zealand.

But the Bristol forward says they need to be kept on their toes by their Six Nations rivals ahead of the World Cup later this year.

She said: "Our defence has improved so much over the last season or two.

"We were obviously disappointed to concede after such a long time but it is good that we are being tested ahead of the World Cup.

"Pressure is what we want. We want to be tested. We want to develop as a squad and this tough competition allows us to do that.

"We know there are areas of the game we want to improve on and it is great we are having five tough games building up to the World Cup."

But Hemming has assured fans that their minds are fully concentrated on the Six Nations Championship, and not on the World Cup.

She added: "We are very focused on the Six Nations. Our aim is to win the World Cup and that is what we are striving for but we are taking it one game at a time."