This is a quite unpredictable Red Roses squad to face Canada, as we should expect when the lines of authority are so stretched. How far was the future head coach able to have the last word about the choices?
The good news is that Lark Atkin-Davies will win her 50th cap, a thoroughly deserved reward for her unstinting service to the cause over the past few years.
This looks like a far from full-strength side. A brief list of absentees proves the point: no Cleall, Cokayne, Infante, Matthews or Reed for starters. And two mothers have more important matters to attend to.
The new faces brought into the training squad are noticeably missing too; names like Campion, the two Cliffords, Doidge, Duffy, Robinson and Wyrwas are also overlooked. The one uncapped player to find favour is Maisy Allen, whom not only Chiefs’ fans will feel has deserved the call-up.
We are getting used to managing without Emily Scarratt, but the back-line should prove a real handful for the Maple Leafs; the addition of Meg Jones to the midfield may well cause more problems for opposing defences. The only change there sees Jess Breach re-established on the wing at Claudia Macdonald’s expense.
This will be a real test for Morwenna Talling to prove her worth in the long run. She plays in the No 6 shirt, one of the most heavily competed for in the entire line-up.
It’s Zoe Aldcroft’s turn to play No 8. Sooner or later the management will have to make a decision about that crucial position. There’s no lack of talent there, other candidates are Alex Matthews and Poppy Cleall. But constant chopping and changing isn’t a recipe for success.
It remains to be seen whether the strategy for these two Autumn tests is to pick a distinctly different squad for the second game at StoneX. After all, these are merely warm-ups for the WXV next month.
The Squad
15. Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 34 caps)
14. Jess Breach (Saracens, 28 caps)
13. Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 24 caps)
12. Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury, 14 caps)
11. Abby Dow (Trailfinders Women, 35 caps)
10. Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears, 20 caps)
9. Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 14 caps)
1. Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury, 5 caps)
2. Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears, 49 caps)
3. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 57 caps)
4. Rosie Galligan (Saracens, 9 caps)
5. Cath O’Donnell (Loughborough Lightning, 27 caps)
6. Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks, 7 caps)
7. Marlie Packer (captain, Saracens, 94 caps)
8. Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 43 caps)
Bench:
16. Connie Powell (Harlequins, 9 caps)
17. Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears, 37 caps)
18. Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury, 20 caps)
19. Sarah Beckett (Gloucester-Hartpury, 30 caps) 20. Maisy Allen (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)
21. Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury, 62 caps)
22. Megan Jones (Leicester Tigers, 12 caps)
23. Claudia MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs, 28 caps
Details:
23 September, Sandy Park, Exeter, KO 14.30
