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WXV 1: Alex Matthews to captain England for the first time, two players make Test debuts
England coach John Mitchell makes seven changes to the starting team who defeated the Black Ferns at Allianz Stadium as the Red Roses begin their WXV 1 title defence against the USA on 29 September.
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Of the changes, four backs come into the starting team, including two players making their Test debuts, while three changes are made in the forwards, including the captain.
The fixture between the USA and England will be the first time international women’s rugby has been played at BC Place in Vancouver, kicking off at 20:30 BST, 12:30 local time.
Bo Westcombe-Evans and Phoebe Murray will make their England debuts, replacing Abby Dow and Tatyana Heard at right wing and inside centre respectively for the Red Roses’ first match of WXV 1.
Georgia Brock, who made her debut against the Black Ferns on 14 September, is named at openside flanker for her first England start. The 23-year-old replaces captain Marlie Packer, who doesn’t feature in the matchday 23.
Brock will be joined in the back row by Sale Sharks’ Morwenna Talling, who starts on the blindside ahead of Maddie Feaunati who is named as a replacement.
The captaincy is awarded to Alex Matthews, who retains her starting place at number eight. Gloucester-Hartpury’s Matthews will captain her country for the first time and will additionally win her 70th England cap in the same match. The 31-year-old was named player of the match in England’s 24-12 win over New Zealand a fortnight ago.
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In the second row, Rosie Galligan returns from injury to play in her first international match since the Six Nations in April, partnering with Abbie Ward. Zoe Aldcroft, who started the two warm-up fixtures, moves to the bench.
The front row remains unchanged, with British Colombia-born Mackenzie Carson starting alongside Lark Atkin-Davies and Sarah Bern. Kelsey Clifford gets the nod ahead of Hannah Botterman on the bench, joining Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir as front-row replacements.
Zoe Harrison and Lucy Packer form the half-back pairing, both moving into a starting shirt from their positions on the bench in the last match. Starting fly-half last time out Holly Aitchison starts on the bench alongside scrum-half Ella Wyrwas.
Linking up with debutant Murray, Emily Scarratt will complete the centre partnership on her 101st start. Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach will start in the same positions as the last match, with Kildunne the scorer of one of four England tries in Twickenham.
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Attack coach Lou Meadows said: “We have been building on our game for the past eight weeks towards our WXV opener against USA. This group of girls are excited for their opportunity to attack the tournament right from the start for the Red Roses this Sunday. We understand our reality and just want to get playing.”
England and the USA will open proceedings in a triple-header on the first day of this year’s WXV, the Eagles moving up from WXV 2 after their third-place finish at the Pacific Four Series earlier in the year.
Canada vs France and New Zealand vs Ireland will follow in a jam-packed day at BC Place, tickets are available here.
Fans can watch the match via their local broadcaster, BBC iPlayer for those in the UK, or on RugbyPass TV when not shown by a local provider (geo-blocking applies).
England are currently on a 17-game winning streak, unbeaten since they lost the Rugby World Cup final in November 2022. Following their first-round fixture against the USA, they will additionally face World Champions New Zealand and Pacific Four Series Champions Canada in WXV 1.
Red Roses team to play USA
15 Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 45 caps)
14 Bo Westcombe-Evans (Loughborough Lightning, uncapped)
13 Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 113 caps)
12 Phoebe Murray (Bristol Bears, uncapped)
11 Jess Breach (Saracens, 40 caps)
10 Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 51 caps)
9 Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 23 caps)
1 Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury, 17 caps)
2 Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears, 59 caps)
3 Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 63 caps)
4 Rosie Galligan (Saracens, 16 caps)
5 Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears, 66 caps)
6 Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks, 15 caps)
7 Georgia Brock (Gloucester-Hartpury, 1 cap)
8 Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury, 69 caps) – captain
Replacements
16 Amy Cokayne (Leicester Tigers, 76 caps)
17 Kelsey Clifford (Saracens, 8 caps)
18 Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury, 32 caps)
19 Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 55 caps)
20 Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps)
21 Ella Wyrwas (Saracens, 6 caps)
22 Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears, 32 caps)
23 Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 31 caps)
Not surprised at the number of changes, Mitchell has only a few games left to "experiment". Scarratt will be crucial to helping the debutants inside and outside her I expect a more usual looking team for the BFs match. It is also about managing workloads.