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England make 10 changes to team to play New Zealand in WXV 1

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Abby Dow of England is challenged by Katelyn Vahaakolo of New Zealand during the Women's International Test between England Red Roses and New Zealand Black Ferns at Allianz Stadium on September 14, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Morgan Harlow - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

John Mitchell has made 10 changes to the starting England team to face New Zealand in the second round of WXV 1 this Sunday.

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The Red Roses opened their WXV 1 campaign with a 61-21 win over the USA last weekend and will go on to play hosts Canada after facing the Black Ferns in Langley.

England’s starting line-up for Sunday’s second-round encounter also features five changes to the team that beat New Zealand 24-12 at Allianz Stadium on September 14.

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The Red Roses will feature an entirely changed front row against the Black Ferns with Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne, and Maud Muir selected in place of Mackenzie Carson, Lark Atkin-Davies, and Sarah Bern who are named as replacements. Botterman will win her 50th cap at Langley Event Centre.

They’re joined in the forward pack by Zoe Aldcroft and Marlie Packer, who returns as captain, while Abbie Ward, Morwenna Talling, and Alex Matthews retain their starting places as the only unchanged forwards. Rosie Galligan and Maddie Feaunati will both provide support as replacements.

A further five changes are made to the backs with Ellie Kildunne (full-back) and Jess Breach (left wing) the only returnees from last week’s victory.

Fixture
WXV 1
New Zealand Women
31 - 49
Full-time
England Women
All Stats and Data

Natasha Hunt is named as the starting scrum-half while Holly Aitchison takes the 10 shirt. Tatyana Heard and Helena Rowland will form the centre partnership, the latter moving to a starting place after two matches as a replacement. Abby Dow will start on the right wing.

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Emily Scarratt moves to the bench alongside Lucy Packer and Zoe Harrison. Phoebe Murray and Bo Westcombe-Evans, who made their debuts last week, and Georgia Brock, who marked her first start with a try against USA, are not named in the matchday 23.

Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Talling, and Rowland are the five players who come into the line-up that beat New Zealand three weeks ago.

England team to play New Zealand:

15. Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 46 caps)
14. Abby Dow (Trailfinders Women, 47 caps)
13. Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 32 caps)
12. Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury, 24 caps)
11. Jess Breach (Saracens, 41 caps)
10. Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears, 33 caps)
9. Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury, 74 caps)
1. Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears, 49 caps)
2. Amy Cokayne (Leicester Tigers, 77 caps)
3. Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury, 33 caps)
4. Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 56 caps)
5. Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears, 67 caps)
6. Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks, 16 caps)
7. Marlie Packer (Saracens, 107 caps) – captain
8. Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury, 70 caps)

Replacements:
16. Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears, 60 caps)
17. Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury, 18 caps)
18. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 64 caps)
19. Rosie Galligan (Saracens, 17 caps)
20. Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs, 8 caps)
21. Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 24 caps)
22. Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 52 caps)
23. Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 114 caps)

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Comments

1 Comment
A
Andrew Nichols 293 days ago

England Women - The female version of the Boks, rotating their squad. 15 pt win against the woefully underprepared NZ hampered domestically and internationally by weak competition

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N
NH 28 minutes ago
'The Wallabies need to convert much better - or Melbourne could be much worse'

Nice one as always Brett. I think the stats hide a bit of the dominance the lions had, and they would look alot worse in that first half when the game was more in the balance. You mention it here but I think it hasn’t been talked about enough was the lineout. The few times the wallabies managed to exit their half and get an opportunity to attack in the 1st half, the lineout was lost. This was huge in terms of lions keeping momentum and getting another chance to attack, rather than the wallabies getting their chance and to properly ‘exit’ their half. The other one you touch on re “the will jordan bounce of the ball” - is kick chase/receipt. I thought that the wallabies kicked relatively well (although were beaten in this area - Tom L rubbish penalty kicks for touch!), but our kick receipt and chase wasn’t good enough jorgenson try aside. In the 1st half there was a moment where russell kicked for a 50:22 and potter fumbled it into touch after been caught out of position, lynagh makes a similar kick off 1st phase soon after and keenan is good enough to predict the kick, catch it at his bootlaces and put a kick in. That kick happened to go out on the full but it was a demonstration on the difference in positioning etc. This meant that almost every contested kick that was spilled went the way of the lions, thats no accident, that is a better chase, more urgency, more players in the area. Wallabies need to be better in who fields their kicks getting maxy and wright under most of them and Lynagh under less, and the chase needs to be the responsibility of not just one winger but a whole group of players who pressure not just the catch but the tackle, ruck and following phase.

17 Go to comments
J
JW 44 minutes ago
Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

Thanks for the further background to player welfare metrics Nick.


Back on the last article I noted that WR is now dedicating a whole section in their six-point business plan to this topic. It also noted that studies indicated 85-90% of workload falls outside of playing. So in respect to your point on the classification of ‘involvements’ included even subs with a low volume of minutes, it actually goes further, to the wider group of players that train as if they’re going to be required to start on the weekend, even if they’re outside the 23. That makes even the 30-35 game borderline pale into insignificance.


No doubt it is won of the main reasons why France has a quota on the number of one clubs players in their International camps, and rotate in other clubs players through the week. The number of ‘invisible’ games against a player suggests the FFRs 25 game limit as more appropriate?


So if we take it at face value that Galthie and the FFR have got it right, only a dozen players from the last 60 international caps should have gone on this tour. More players from the ‘Scotland 23’ than the more recent 23.


The only real pertinent question is what do players prefer more, health or money? There are lots of ethical decisions, like for instance whether France could make a market like Australia’s where their biggest rugby codes have yearly broadcast deals of 360 and 225 million euros. They do it by having a 7/8 month season.

68 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'The Wallabies need to convert much better - or Melbourne could be much worse' 'The Wallabies need to convert much better - or Melbourne could be much worse'