Rugby: England Name Unchanged XV For World Cup Opener

Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland Date: Friday 22 August Kick-off: 19:30 BST

Coverage: Live on BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sport website and app.

England have named an unchanged starting XV for Friday’s opening game of the Women’s Rugby World Cup against the United States in Sunderland.

Head coach John Mitchell has stuck with the same side that started the victory over France on 9 August, which was the Red Roses’ last warm-up game before the tournament.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft will lead her side out at a home World Cup from blind-side flanker, with 2014 World Cup-winner Alex Matthews starting at number eight.

Among the replacements is another World Cup-winner, Emily Scarratt, who could become the first English rugby union player to play in five World Cups, having made her debut the last time England hosted the tournament in 2010.

Loughborough Lightning’s Sadia Kabeya starts at open-side flanker instead of former captain Marlie Packer, who misses out on the matchday squad despite serving her one-match ban.

A record crowd for a Women’s Rugby World Cup opening match is expected with more than 40,000 tickets sold for the game at Stadium of Light.

England, who are favourites to win the tournament, are on a 27-game winning run, with their last defeat coming against New Zealand in the 2022 World Cup final.

“We have been building nicely into the tournament and now we’re excited to get our campaign under way,” Mitchell said.

“Sunderland has been a great host city thus far and we know it’ll be a record crowd for a Women’s Rugby World Cup opening match which shows the appetite for rugby in this region and for the competition ahead.

“We want to embrace the occasion while understanding we have to earn the right to progress through the pool stage.”

Locks Abbie Ward and Morwenna Talling continue in the second row, with Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir making up the front row.

Vice-captain Megan Jones starts alongside established midfield partner Tatyana Heard, while Natasha Hunt and Zoe Harrison are again the preferred half-back combination.

Jessica Breach, Abby Dow and Ellie Kildunne scored a combined 18 tries in last year’s Six Nations and form a lethal back three.

Kelsey Clifford, Maddie Feaunati and Emma Sing are set for their World Cup debuts from the bench.

Line-up

England XV: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), Kabeya, Matthews.

Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Clifford, Bern, Galligan, Feaunati, L Packer, Scarratt, Sing.

BBC.com