BRIGHTON - Australia head coach Jo Yapp, captain Siokapesi Palu, Piper Duck and Caitlyn Halse speak after their 47-7 Pool A defeat by England at Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium on Saturday.

Jo Yapp, head coach

On whether the scoreline was a fair reflection of the match:

"I don't know if it was but in the second half we lost momentum, we lost a couple of key set-pieces and then we were on the back foot. Credit to England, they capitalised on that."

On not converting the chances:

"The positive thing is we created opportunities, we got field position and then we couldn't execute. Credit to England, they were coming up the line hard at us. But I'm proud of the first half, the way we took it to them."

On playing Canada:

"Now we are all clear where we stand. We know we've got Canada. We've played them a couple of times in Pac Four so we know what to expect. We'll preview them this week and we'll focus on ourselves."

Siokapesi Palu, captain

On whether she is disappointed with the result:

"We came here with a goal to reach the quarter-finals. We went into the game knowing Samoa did a great job to hold out against USA. We are really happy with the performance - especially in that first half, we really gave it to them - and we're just going to stick with those positives."

On her performance after being out injured for a long time:

"I was really happy with what I was able to produce but I was not alone. I have another 14 on the field at the same time. We all worked hard, we are really happy and we know we have work to do."

On playing Canada in the quarter-finals:

"We know they are a physical side but at the end of the day it's always us versus us."

Piper Duck

On her team's performance:

"I’m extremely proud of the team. We’ve been working very hard. Obviously, we need to carry that for 80 minutes, but it shows the work we have been doing and the standard of rugby we can play. A few executional pieces really put us out of that game. Unfortunately, when you’re playing a team like England, they capitalise and that’s what makes them world class."

On celebrating qualifying for the quarter-finals and Jo Yapp’s birthday:

"She’s so humble. We actually had Jo present our jerseys last night. Jo has had a lot to do with England rugby herself, so she’s not just an amazing coach, she’s an amazing athlete. Because she is so humble, we haven’t had the time to hear about her as a player and what she did, but getting to hear her story last night, not just as our coach but as that female player who has done so much for the game, was really special.

"To have her birthday today, we're obviously disappointed not to get the win for her, but pleased to hit through to that quarter-final and do that for her. Jo puts her heart and soul into this team; it speaks a lot for her character and what she’s done for us."

Caitlyn Halse

On the emotions coming off the loss against England:

"There was obviously a bit of sad emotions going around the changing room, but we are happy as we have qualified for the quarter-finals."