Simon Middleton has caught us on the hop once more. We cannot have expected this line-up for the so-called ‘friendly’ in Lille on Friday evening:
15. Ellie Kildunne (Wasps, 14 caps)
14. Jess Breach (Harlequins, 18 caps)
13. Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 95 caps)
12. Sarah McKenna (Saracens, 35 caps)
11. Abby Dow (Wasps, 17 caps)
10. Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 29 caps)
9. Leanne Riley (Harlequins, 42 caps)
1. Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins, 59 caps)
2. Amy Cokayne (Harlequins, 56 caps)
3. Shaunagh Brown (Harlequins, 23 caps)
4. Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 23 caps)
5. Harriet Millar-Mills (Wasps, 61 caps)
6. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 46 caps)
7. Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens, 78 caps)
8. Sarah Hunter (captain, Loughborough Lightning, 125 caps)
Bench:
16. Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning, 31 caps)
17. Hannah Botterman (Saracens, 21 caps)
18. Bryony Cleall (Saracens, 4 caps)
19. Abbie Ward (Harlequins, 47 caps)
20. Sarah Beckett (Harlequins 20 caps)
21. Claudia MacDonald (Wasps, 14 caps)
22. Flo Robinson (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
23. Merryn Doidge (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
Non-playing reserve: Detysha Harper (Loughborough Lightning, 5 caps)
Luck tends to swing both ways. As Cath O’Donnell is counted out with concussion and Marlie Packer is forced to isolate, so Sarah Beckett makes a timely reappearance on the bench after a lengthy time-out.
The crucial selection comes once again at No 12: Sarah McKenna is the fourth Red Rose posted there in four matches. If ever you wanted a sign of concern, this is it. With Amber Reed (injured) and Meg Jones (7s) missing, Middleton couldn’t turn to Zoe Harrison, who moves to fly-half to replace Helena Rowland. She decided to return to 7s as soon as the Six Nations campaign was over.
Given England’s huge resources elsewhere, the need to move McKenna in there represents another delay in establishing a first-choice XV.
At last two uncapped youngsters appear on the bench, the Exeter pair, Flo Robinson and Merryn Doidge. The curiosity here is that Robinson is primarily a scrum-half; that makes three in the 23. Claudia Macdonald can double as a winger, but you’d expect Doidge to be employed exclusively as a full-back, though she played at 13 in the latest round of the Prem 15s.
En route to the World Cup
The game against France in Lille on Friday evening (KO 8 pm BST) is really a first stepping stone to the World Cup. There’s a long winding path still to travel: another Six Nations next year and any extra matches, even tours, that can be arranged in difficult times.
The hope had been to visit New Zealand well in advance, just as England did for the successful series in June 2017 before the Irish World Cup. But travel plans are fragile creatures.
A constant problem is finding opposing sides who can really test the Red Roses. That’s not easy when you’re ranked first in the world, and the standards drop away sharply as you move down the rankings. For example, Italy have a fine team but they still ship a load of points against the No 1 nation.
If Simon Middleton and his staff had an open choice, they would look at New Zealand and Canada as the sort of opposition to present the right challenge. With a loosening of travel restrictions this year, you could imagine another 3 or 4-way series being set up. In playing terms, that 2017 series and the Super Series in San Diego in 2019 were very positive for the elite end of women’s rugby.
The ideal location would be New Zealand, if only to give players who’ve never been there the experience of performing in that totally rugby-mad country. In logistical terms Canada would provide the ideal base, requiring the least amount of travel for the two visiting squads.
Next Friday
As for Lille: the good news for England is that four members of the French team at the Stoop, Carla Neisen, Caroline Drouin, Jade Ulutule and Romane Ménager, have rejoined their Sevens pals. That is regular practice in the French system, but robs the Fifteen of a heap of talent.
They were back at work at the start of the week in Marcoussis. Annick Hayraud said she was delighted to have had the squad together for six weeks, the longest period together she has ever known. She takes a long-term view, not dwelling on the continuing defeats to the English, but heartened by the progress she sees the players making. Indeed, many neutral observers thought they deserved to win at the Stoop, having had the upper hand for most of the game.
England with much to prove
England have a lot of ground to make up after the imperfect display in Twickenham. A few stats reveal worrying disparities between the two teams:
Clean breaks: England 1, France 9
Offloads: England 5, France 16
Metres carried: England 235, France 319
Yet they still won.
You have to wonder what Abby Dow and Jess Breach will be eating during the week. They were on a starvation diet at the Stoop. It would be nice to see the Red Roses return to the sort of joyous rugby they played in the first half at Doncaster in 2019. Even nicer to see them produce an 80-minute performance. They have been rarities recently.
