Emily Scarratt will captain England when they take on fellow Rugby World Cup finalists Canada in the Rugby Super Series at Ellerslie Rugby Park in Edmonton, Canada, kick off 1am BST on Monday.
Rugby World Cup winner Scarratt, who scored 16 points against Canada in the 21-9 World Cup final, takes over the captaincy armband from Sarah Hunter who will start the game on the bench.
Source: World Rugby
Claire Allan
Scarratt switches from centre to fullback for this match and she is one of seven changes to the starting line-up. Claire Allan, who was called up to the squad on Wednesday as injury cover, will make her tour debut in place of Scarratt in the centre. Worcester’s Ceri Large will also start at 12 while Emily Scott returns at fly-half after an injury to Megan Jones.
In the pack, Richmond’s Rowena Burnfield has been given the nod in the second row while Heather Fisher and Hannah Gallagher start in place of Marlie Packer and Hunter.
England Head Coach Simon Middleton, whose side are looking to pick up their second and final win of the series after defeat to New Zealand on Wednesday, said: “Emily will take over as captain from Sarah and that was one of the reason’s she was vice-captain for the game against New Zealand. Like Sarah, she has great leadership qualities, the players listen to her and she has great game understanding so I am sure she’ll make a big impression in this new role.”
“As you’d expect with a tournament like this, with three games in eight days, we have picked up some injuries and that has forced us to make changes. A lot of players have also had a lot of game time, like Sarah Hunter and Sarah McKenna, so we need to manage them appropriately and this time we’ll use them to make an impact off the bench. We also have a lot of quality in the backrow with Heather Fisher, Alex Matthews and Hannah Gallagher starting.”
“Claire Allan, who flew out to Canada just a couple of days ago, will start after Katie Mason and Fiona Pocock suffered injuries. She is an experienced player, who can play on the wing or in the centre, so I expect her to fit easily in.”
“Playing Canada 11 months on from the World Cup will be very different. Both sides are in a rebuilding phase now so you cannot compare it to the Word Cup final. We were disappointed to lose to New Zealand in the week, but I am sure Canada will also be disappointed with their two defeats. That, however, makes them dangerous. Our challenge will be to win the physical battle with our emphasis on performance.”
England
15 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield) C
14 Kay Wilson (Thurrock)
13 Claire Allan (Richmond)
12 Ceri Large (Worcester)
11 Lydia Thompson (Worcester)
10 Emily Scott (Thurrock)
9 Leanne Riley (Saracens)
1 Rochelle Clark (Worcester)
2 Victoria Fleetwood (Saracens)
3 Justine Lucas (Lichfield)
4 Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)
5 Rowena Burnfield (Richmond)
6 Heather Fisher (Thurrock)
7 Hannah Gallagher (Saracens)
8 Alexandra Matthews (Richmond)
Replacements:
16 Amy Cokayne (Lichfield)
17 Vicky Cornborough (Richmond)
18 Laura Keates (Worcester)
19 Abbie Scott (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)
20 Sarah Hunter (Lichfield)
21 Bianca Blackburn (Worcester)
22 Amber Reed (Bristol)
23 Sarah McKenna (Saracens)
Rugby Super Series Fixtures
27 June 2015
England 39-13 USA
Canada 22-40 New Zealand
Calgary Rugby Park
1 July 2015
England 7-26 NZ
Canada 28-36 USA
Red Deer Titans Park
July 5
New Zealand v USA, KO 11pm BST
England v Canada, 1.30am BST (July 6)
Ellerslie Rugby Park, Edmonton
All matches can be watched live here
