England Name Unchanged Xv For World Cup Opener

Women's Rugby World Cup: England v United States

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

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

England person named an unchanged starting XV for Friday's opening crippled of nan Women's Rugby World Cup against nan United States successful Sunderland.

Head coach John Mitchell has stuck pinch nan aforesaid broadside that started nan victory complete France connected 9 August, which was nan Red Roses' past warm-up crippled earlier nan tournament.

Captain Zoe Aldcroft will lead her broadside retired astatine a location World Cup from blind-side flanker, pinch 2014 World Cup-winner Alex Matthews starting astatine number eight.

Among nan replacements is different World Cup-winner, Emily Scarratt, who could go nan first English rugby national subordinate to play successful 5 World Cups, having debuted nan past clip England hosted nan tourney successful 2010.

Loughborough Lightning's Sadia Kabeya starts astatine open-side flanker alternatively of erstwhile skipper Marlie Packer, who misses retired connected nan matchday squad contempt serving her one-match ban.

A grounds crowd for a Women's Rugby World Cup opening lucifer is expected pinch complete 40,000 tickets sold for nan crippled astatine Stadium of Light.

England, who are favourites to triumph nan tournament, are connected a 27-game winning tally since their past conclusion which came successful nan World Cup last by New Zealand successful 2022.

"We person been building nicely into nan tourney and now we're excited to get our run underway," Mitchell said.

"Sunderland person been a awesome big metropolis frankincense acold and we cognize it'll beryllium a grounds crowd for a Women's Rugby World Cup opening lucifer which shows nan appetite for rugby successful this region and for nan title ahead.

"We want to clasp nan juncture whilst knowing we person to stay wherever our feet are and gain nan correct to advancement done nan excavation stage."

Locks Abbie Ward and Morwenna Talling proceed successful nan 2nd row, pinch Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir making up nan beforehand row.

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

Jessica Breach, Abby Dow and Ellie Kildunne scored a mixed 18 tries successful past year's Six Nations and shape a lethal backmost three.

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

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.