As promised, the Red Rose outfit to face the Eagles has a very different look from last weekend.
The team:
15. Abby Dow (Wasps, 21 caps)
14. Lydia Thompson (Worcester Warriors, 49 caps)
13. Holly Aitchison (Saracens, 3 caps)
12. Lagi Tuima (Harlequins, 11 caps)
11. Heather Cowell (Harlequins, 1 cap)
10. Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 9 caps)
9. Leanne Infante (Bristol Bears, 47 caps)
1. Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins, 63 caps)
2. Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning, 34 caps)
3. Maud Muir (Wasps, 3 caps)
4. Harriet Millar-Mills (Wasps, 65 caps)
5. Zoe Aldcroft (captain, Gloucester Hartpury, 27 caps)
6. Alex Matthews (Worcester Warriors, 44 caps)
7. Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning, 1 cap)
8. Sarah Beckett (Harlequins, 21 caps)
Bench:
16. Connie Powell (Gloucester-Hartpury, uncapped)
17. Hannah Botterman (Saracens, 25 caps)
18. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 39 caps)
19. Rowena Burnfield (Wasps, 49 caps)
20. Sarah Hunter (Loughborough Lighting, 129 caps)
21. Lucy Packer (Harlequins, uncapped)
22. Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 33 caps)
23. Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 17 caps)
Two benchers, Connie Powell and Lucy Packer, are in line to win their first caps. But two other features are a delightful surprise: Zoe Aldcroft is honoured with the captaincy, and (so long as the lights don’t go out!) Rowena Burnfield joins Lydia Thompson in gaining her 50th cap.
She has had to wait two and a half years to receive this honour. She figured in my piece (4theloveofsport.co.uk/2020/01/28/come-in-no-49-your-time-is-up) from January last year and first represented her country thirteen years ago.
Everyone will be delighted to see Lydia receive this accolade too; she has suffered injuries far more than most; like Rowena she has had to wait patiently. Now she can enjoy the reward of appearing in front of her home crowd and the warmest reception.
This is another chance for the selectors to measure Helena Rowland’s performance at No 10. Lagi Tuima will feel more at home restored to No 12. Abby Dow switches to No 15 where she has often played for her club.
It’s good to see Sarah Beckett able to take the field again, but reminds us of the problems facing the selectors in their choice of back-row players.
Simon Middleton has reverted to the more orthodox 5-3 split on the bench.
It is just a great pity that the two players denied the chance of receiving their first caps in Lille last May, Flo Robinson and Merryn Doidge, have to wait for another opportunity.
Now that the Red Roses have safely seen off the Black Ferns and the Maple Leafs we can be less concerned about the sequence of matches they faced. They can look forward with confidence to equalling the men’s record of 18 wins on the trot.
Before we write this off as the inevitable result of their professional status, let’s acknowledge that the country is blessed with a remarkably talented set of players.
It’s excellent to see Julianne Zussman taking charge of the game, another major ex-international ‘Keeping Her Boots On’.
Officials:
Referee: Julianne Zussman (RC)
ARs: Doriane Domenjo (FFR) and Francesca Martin (WRU)
TMO: Ian Davies (WRU)
with thanks to rugbyreferee.net
Details:
Date: Sunday 21 November
Kick-off: 14.45
Venue: Sixways, Worcester
Media Coverage: BBC2
