Much-changed England 'calm' & Ready For 'adversity'

Women's Rugby World Cup: England v Samoa - Pool A

Venue: Franklin's Gardens, Northampton Date: Saturday, 30 August Kick-off: 17:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app.

Head coach John Mitchell's extremity astatine nan commencement of this twelvemonth was to create nan talent successful his England squad successful bid to person "one squad operating arsenic two".

Mitchell believed conscionable 1 squad was not capable to play 13 Test matches this year.

The New Zealander dislikes nan connection 'rotation' and alternatively strives for seamless modulation betwixt his 2 squads.

He utilized 34 players successful this year's Women's Six Nations and still managed to unafraid a seventh consecutive title.

The Red Roses fielded their strongest broadside successful nan opening crippled of nan Women's Rugby World Cup and comfortably breezed past the United States 69-7.

Up adjacent successful Northampton are Pool A's weakest broadside Samoa, whose part-time players person had to crowd-fund to return their spot successful nan tournament.

It is nan cleanable opportunity for Mitchell to manus 13 different players their first games successful this year's tournament.

But while nan squad changes, nan standards stay precocious arsenic Mitchell's broadside triumph adjacent successful connected a spot successful nan quarter-finals.

Driving those standards will beryllium erstwhile skipper Marlie Packer, aft skipper Zoe Aldcroft was ruled out of nan remainder of nan excavation shape having sustained a knee wounded against nan US.

That is simply a premier illustration of why building extent was Mitchell's priority.

"Once we gain nan right, [Aldcroft] will beryllium fresh for nan quarter-finals," Mitchell told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

"We are each very calm [around Aldcroft's injury]. This is tourney rugby, you person to woody pinch what is chucked astatine you. Some group telephone it adversity.

"You conscionable person to beryllium ready."

At nan commencement of August, 13 of Saturday's XV started nan 97-7 thrashing of Spain, showing really ruthless some of Mitchell's sides tin beryllium - but besides really difficult it is to enactment successful nan team.

Utility backmost Helena Rowland, who scored a hat-trick of tries playing connected nan helping against Spain, starts astatine fly-half connected Saturday having missed nan opening World Cup crippled pinch an ankle injury.

The 25-year-old past started astatine fly-half against Italy successful nan opening crippled of this year's Six Nations and guided nan Red Roses to a 38-5 win.

The fly-half jersey has been occupied by specialists Zoe Harrison and Holly Aitchison, but pinch Aitchison incapable to shingle disconnected an ankle wounded that has kept her retired of action this month, Rowland has been called successful astatine 10 to thief negociate Harrison's workload.

Harrison is backmost to her instrumental best, which helped guideline England to nan World Cup last successful 2022, and needs to beryllium protected for nan bigger challenges ahead.

Rowland's incisive moving crippled makes nan Samoa lucifer good suited to nan Loughborough Lightning back.

"Helena knows she is nan most versatile person wrong nan group. She's highly valued," Mitchell said.

"She's benignant of first connected nan squad expanse successful position of 23. Zoe [Harrison] has carried a immense load successful that area since nan warm-up matches, truthful it's bully to get Helena going.

"If you look astatine this combination, nan mostly of them person played together against Italy, Spain and now they get nan opportunity successful nan World Cup."

Amateur broadside Samoa are classed 15th successful nan world and mislaid their opening crippled 73-0 to Australia, while England's thumping triumph complete nan USA extended their winning tally to 28 matches.

Samoa person not won a World Cup lucifer since 2006, while England person ne'er mislaid a excavation game.

The world's number one-ranked broadside are expected to triumph large - but really large will they go?

England's highest points full successful a World Cup crippled came successful a 84-19 triumph complete Fiji astatine nan past World Cup.

That triumph besides brought nan Red Roses' their astir tries scored successful a World Cup lucifer (14).

Claudia Moloney-MacDonald scored 4 of those tries connected her World Cup debut successful 2022 and is backmost connected nan helping against Samoa aft recovering from a hamstring injury, taking complete from Abby Dow.

She played down media expectations of a immense victory.

"Maybe you guys expect america to triumph emphatically," she said. "I don't cognize if we person that aforesaid anticipation of ourselves."

England person only played Samoa, who are nan 2nd lowest-ranked squad successful nan tourney down Brazil, doubly successful their history, scoring 18 tries and conceding nary successful large wins successful 2005 and 2014.

"We expect Samoa to beryllium incredibly physical," Moloney-MacDonald told nan BBC's Rugby Union Weekly. "The opening crippled against Fiji astatine nan past World Cup was 1 of my favourite games I've ever played.

"It was truthful breathtaking to play a squad that you don't cognize a immense magnitude about.

"The mostly of america person ne'er played them. They will bring challenges and want to support nan shot alive."

England's grounds World Cup winning separator is nan 82-0 triumph complete Kazakhstan successful 2010, which could besides beryllium a realistic target.

But imaginable records connected Saturday will only beryllium a prize for Mitchell, who is reaping nan benefits of cautiously managing his squad.

This surely won't beryllium nan past clip nan World Cup hosts person to woody pinch immoderate adversity.

England: Sing; Breach, Jones, Shekells, Moloney-MacDonald; Rowland, Packer; Clifford, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Campion, Galligan, Burton, Packer (capt), Feaunati.

Replacements: Campbell, Carson, Muir, Talling, Kabeya, Hunt, Harrison, Kildunne.

Samoa: Wright-Akeli; Lasini, Pouri-Lane, Makisi, Fiafia; Vatau, Afuie; Aiolupotea, Nonutunu, Aiono, C Onesemo-Tuilaepa, D Onesemo-Tuilaepa, Atonio, Pauaraisa, Foaese.

Replacements: Leuta, Tauasosi, Losefo, Sio, Jamie Iva, Leaula, Ah-Cheung.

Referee: Maggie Cogger-Orr (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Clara Munarini (Italy) and Amber Stamp-Dunstan (Wales)

TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)