KEIGHLEY'S Ellie Kildunne was voted England's player of the match in their final Six Nations match.

Danielle Waterman claimed a record 47th try as the hosts overwhelmed Ireland 33-11 to close their campaign on a positive note.

England finished their tournament with a return to the power rugby that dominated their campaign, hitting back from their 18-17 loss in France in round four.

That France loss proved their sole defeat in the competition, and England vented lingering frustrations with a five-try triumph at Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

England treated a record crowd for a Women's Six Nations match on home soil to some fine action, with more than 8,600 tickets sold for the contest.

Kildunne, a former Woodhouse Grove School pupil, scored her fifth try in five matches with a clever show-and-go.

Waterman, whose score made her the record try-scorer for England Women, Marlie Packer, Amy Cokayne and Amber Reed all crossed the line in a convincing England victory.

Katy Daley-McLean slotted four conversions for the dominant hosts, while Ireland could only muster a try from Claire Molloy and two penalties from Hannah Tyrrell.

Head coach Simon Middleton said: “It was a battling performance; we had to fight for every ball as Ireland probably have one of the best back rows in the game.

“We had to problem-solve as they presented different pictures than they looked at previously so I’m really pleased with how we built our performance.

“The crowds are growing all the time. We had a great crowd at The Stoop, the atmosphere was amazing last week in France and it was a great crowd here.”

England finished the tournament second behind Grand Slam winners France.