Source: INPHO/James Crombie

England team to play France on Saturday

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Head coach Simon Middleton has made one change to the England Women starting XV ahead of the Quilter International against France on Saturday.

Worcester Warriors’ Lydia Thompson gets the nod on the wing while Marlie Packer is set to earn her 70th cap.

The Red Roses name the same 23-player group that secured an impressive 20-10 victory over Les Bleues at the Stade de Michelin in Clemont-Ferrand last weekend and will now host Annick Hayraud’s side at Exeter Chiefs’ Sandy Park home on Saturday [16 November, kick-off 1.10pm].

They will now fine-tune their preparations in Devon ahead of the game, live on Sky Sports Mix and Action.

Middleton said: “We were delighted to secure our first win in France since 2012.

“The players put a real shift in and stuck to the plan.

“We have had a good week’s recovery and preparation, which we will now complete in Devon.

“As we expected, last week’s game was incredibly competitive, while at the same time, it was clear to see that both sides hadn’t played competitively for a couple of months.

“However, I expect both teams to have shaken off some of the ring rust this week and the skill execution should be evident in the performances.

“Certainly from our point of view, we will be looking to improve on a couple of areas, the primary one being our handling.

“France had the lion’s share of both the possession and field position last week, which we countered with a very good defensive performance.

“This week, we will be looking to address both those balances and with it, show more of our attacking capabilities.

“Sandy Park is a great venue. When we played there against Italy in the Six Nations, the reception from the crowd and the people of Exeter was brilliant and we can’t wait for Saturday’s game.”

Starters
15 Sarah McKenna (Saracens Women – 26 caps)
14 Lydia Thompson (Worcester Warriors Women – 44 caps)
13 Emily Scarratt (VC) (Loughborough Lightning – 83 caps)
12 Zoe Harrison (Saracens Women – 18 caps)
11 Abby Dow (Wasps FC Ladies – 7 caps)
10 Katy Daley-Mclean (Loughborough Lightning – 108 caps)
9 Leanne Riley (Harlequins Women – 32 caps)

1 Hannah Botterman (Saracens Women – 15 caps)
2 Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning – 22 caps)
3 Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears Women – 29 caps)
4 Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury Women – 14 caps)
5 Abbie Scott (Harlequins Women – 41 caps)
6 Sarah Beckett (Harlequins Women – 11 caps)
7 Marlie Packer (Saracens Women – 69 caps)
8 Sarah Hunter (C) (Loughborough Lightning – 117 caps)

Replacements
16 Heather Kerr (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks – 20 caps)
17 Ellena Perry (Gloucester-Hartpury Women – 8 caps)
18 Shaunagh Brown (Harlequins Women – 11 caps)
19 Poppy Cleall (Saracens Women – 34 caps)
20 Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens Women – 70 caps)
21 Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury Women – 48 caps)
22 Emily Scott (Harlequins Women – 33 caps)
23 Jess Breach (Harlequins Women – 8 caps)
24 Detysha Harper [Non-playing reserve]

Saturday 16 November – Quilter International: England Women v France Women
Sandy Park, Exeter (KO 1310 GMT, live on Sky Sports Mix and Action)
Tickets are available here.

Saturday 23 November – Quilter International: England Women v Italy Women 
Goldington Road, Bedford (KO 1500 GMT, live on EnglandRugby.com and England Rugby channels)
Tickets are available here.