It’s laughable to view the two coming internationals, against France and New Zealand, as warm-ups.
Yet, in one sense they really are: a preparation for the second running of WXV1 in Canada, to help decide who starts and who finishes; who plays where. But there is far too much history hanging on these fixtures; all three nations will see them as crucial contests.
For Les Bleues it will be a chance to bring to an end a calamitous 6-year series of defeats to the Red Roses. The effects for the Black Ferns are more varied: time to lay down a marker for yet another world cup win next year, and to check how far they have advanced since their unsatisfactory showing at home in last year’s WXV (one win, two losses). They are calling their latest trip to Europe ‘historic’, so there’s no mistaking their emotion.
England
It remains to be seen how John Mitchell and his co-selectors plan the two matches. The first priority is to win both, but can that be achieved with the same starting XV, or should they spread the choice wider, to help sort the most sensible picks for Canada?
It’s the type of problem I can’t remember an England management facing recently; one of the delights that WXV adds to the menu.
If you’re an optimist, you’ll say: “Of course, the Red Roses could pick two completely different sides and still win with some ease. If only I could join you in that sunny approach. My head is full of misgivings. Witness the second half of last year’s crunch at Twickenham, 33-5 to France; then a sequence of crushing defeats to the Black Ferns in RWC finals that stretch back to 2002.
As I offer you the following list, you may wonder what’s the matter with me: Botterman, Bern, Aldcroft, Ward, Matthews, Marlie Packer, Aitchison, Scarratt, Dow and Kildunne.
They are the players I would always prefer to see in my England team.
Of course, it excludes players of the highest quality, but they all have rivals who make their selection less secure.
From back to front: Breach or Macdonald? Heard or Rowland? Hunt or Lucy Packer or Wyrwas? Kabeya or Feaunati or Allen or Beckett or Talling? Atkin-Davies or Cokayne? Impossible, isn’t it!
We learn that Emily Scarratt may return to the 13 shirt, now that Meg Jones is sadly missing from parade. But that doesn’t answer all the conundrums of who plays where in the backs.
Life becomes easier if we take the soft option and pick those two separate sides, but I suspect Mitchell is loath to indulge in that sort of exercise. He was extremely cautious in his choices for the 2024 Six Nations. For the last four matches he kept exactly the same back line (Hunt, Aitchison, Breach, Jones, Heard, Dow, Kildunne) – talk about ‘Steady Eddie’!
Mitchell has hanging over him the possibility of a first defeat since the last RWC final, and that was a game apart.
We’ll soon know the choice for the France game. Whether the announcement includes a side to face the Black Ferns as well is just one of the exciting unknowns.
