Simon Middleton has revealed his training squad for the Six Nations:
Forwards
Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 38 caps)
Sarah Beckett (Gloucester-Hartpury, 25 caps)
Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 52 caps)
*May Campbell (Saracens)
Bryony Cleall (Harlequins, 7 caps)
Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 63 caps)
*Kelsey Clifford (Saracens)
Amy Cokayne (Harlequins, 70 caps)
*Liz Crake (Wasps)
Lark Davies (Bristol Bears, 44 caps)
Rosie Galligan (Harlequins, 9 caps)
Detysha Harper (Loughborough Lightning, 5 caps)
Sarah Hunter (co-captain; Loughborough Lightning, 140 caps)
Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning, 8 caps)
Poppy Leitch (Exeter Chiefs, 7 caps)
Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury, 56 caps)
Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury, 17 caps)
Cath O’Donnell (Loughborough Lightning, 24 caps)
Marlie Packer (co-captain; Saracens, 89 caps)
Connie Powell (Gloucester-Hartpury, 7 caps)
*Emily Robinson (Harlequins)
*Hannah Sims (Harlequins)
Morwenna Talling (Loughborough Lightning, 5 caps)
23
Backs
Holly Aitchison (Saracens, 15 caps)
Jess Breach (Saracens, 24 caps)
Abby Dow (Harlequins, 30 caps)
*Elizabeth Duffy (Sale Sharks)
Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury, 9 caps)
Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury, 60 caps)
Leanne Infante (Saracens, 57 caps)
Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 31 caps)
Claudia MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs, 24 caps)
*Nancy McGillivray (Exeter Chiefs)
Sarah McKenna (Saracens, 43 caps)
Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 9 caps)
Amber Reed (Bristol Bears, 62 caps)
Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 22 caps)
*Ellie Rugman (Gloucester-Hartpury)
Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury, 2 caps)
Lydia Thompson (Worcester Warriors, 58 caps)
Lagi Tuima (Harlequins, 12 caps)
*Ella Wyrwas (Saracens)
19
* uncapped
Players unavailable for selection: Hannah Botterman (knee), Vickii Cornborough (personal reasons), Vicky Fleetwood (ankle), Laura Keates (anterior cruciate ligament), Zoe Harrison (anterior cruciate ligament), Emily Scarratt (neck and ankle), Abbie Ward (pregnancy).
Training Squad, not a 6N Squad
There are several advantages in posting a large squad before reducing it later. The coaches have the chance to measure up the qualities of both the new faces and the more familiar ones who have not been seen in white for a while (Beckett, Bryony Cleall, Harper, Hunt, Leitch, Reed, Talling,).
Few of the nine uncapped players can be called a surprise; perhaps only Liz Crake, who has gallantly led Wasps through its worst ever crisis. She has played in most forward positions for them in recent seasons, which will not help her chances of a first cap.
You could see other new faces as belated call-ups; May Campbell can only have been overlooked through the wealth of talent England already has at hooker. Similarly, Ellie Rugman has had to bide her time because of England’s strength on the wings.
At the other end of the experience scale the name of Liz Duffy may prove one of the most significant. She is the one young No 10 to have made a significant mark over the past two seasons for Sale. I discuss this position below.
The absentee-list is disturbing. It includes four players who would figure as first-choices in nearly every English fan’s starting-list. But that is the name of the game. At least Helena Rowland’s name reappears. It has been absent ever since the World Cup.
Middleton has jumped on the band-wagon called co-captaincy, so popular in the Prem 15s. Marlie Packer is raised to the nobility alongside Sarah Hunter, though we may wonder at the presence of the pair next to each other in the pack. Let the backs do their own thing?
Bad News
The bad news came a short time earlier: Zoe Harrison is out for the foreseeable with a torn ACL, suffered in Saracens’ Round 11 game against Quins.
If things were normal, England would simply hail the next cab on the rank, and nobody would turn a hair. But things are far from normal. Of the most likely replacements Helena Rowland has not played this season. Likewise Emily Scarratt has been a long-term absentee from parade, helping to explain Loughborough’s miserable performance thus far in the Premier 15s (3 wins in 12). England’s next most likely outside-half, Holly Aitchison, last appeared four rounds ago.
Jingoism or Commonsense?
This brings us face to face with a statement made by the RFU as part of its 10-year strategy for the Premier 15s: English players would be given preference.
Nothing of the sort has happened to date, rather the reverse. Middleton has rarely been in this position before, but before his announcement on 2 March we could hardly begin to guess who would be given the No 10 shirt.
Let’s take a look across some of the people who have worn that shirt in the Prem 15s this season (* = full England cap):
Bristol: Elinor Snowsill (Wales); Lucie Scuse (England U20); Amber Reed* (mostly No 12 these days)
DMP: Meya Bizer (USA); Jess Clabby
Exeter: Lizzie Goulden (NZ); Robyn Wilkins (Wales); Liv McGoverne (NZ)
Glos-Pury: Lleucu George (Wales)
Quins: Bella Mckenzie (Australia); Emily Scott*
Loughborough: Helen Nelson (Scotland) (Helena Rowland* abs. inj); (Emily Scarratt* abs. inj)
Sale: Lizzie Duffy
Saracens: (Zoe Harrison* abs. inj); Holly Aitchison* (last played R8, at centre)
Wasps: Meg Jones* (GB 7s)
Worcester: Minori Yamamoto (Japan); Sarah Nicholas
In short, most active contenders to replace Harrison are counted out by virtue of their nationality.
Once more I must ask: is the Prem 15s to continue to be a nursery for overseas (and over-Severn and over-Tweed) players? Is it selfish for England to feather their own nest and keep out intruders?
One response is that it is high time for a new name to feature on the Six Nations trophy. Since 2006 England (18 wins) and France (6) have dominated the scene. Ireland had their golden period in the mid-2010s with 2 wins. Scotland won the then Home Championship in 1998. The cake has been unequally divided. Any setbacks England suffer on the fitness front only help to even things out.
Despite these unwelcome absences, any England squad the selectors choose should come close to another Grand Slam. But then, we don’t yet know who all those selectors will be!
