England U20 Women are back in action tonight at Cardiff Arms Park, with the Welsh capital once again hosting the Red Roses Pathway side. England are getting set to take on the United States tonight in Cardiff, with the aim to return to winning ways after a narrow defeat to Canada last Friday.
This match will be the second and final fixture for England U20 Women in their Transatlantic Quad Series, with the match scheduled to kick off at 17:30 and will be streamed live on RugbyPass TV. Interim head coach James Cooper was impressed with his side’s resilience in the defeat to the Maple Leaves, with the final score-line reading 33-36 after an end-to-end encounter.
With 22 of the match day 23 that faced Canada gaining their first U20 caps, a valiant comeback effort saw England score all 33 of their points in the second period through tries from Thea Sylvester, Bethan Candlin, Zara Green, Daisy Aspinall, a penalty try and six points from the boot of Molly Bunker.
“Our last match day was a fantastic experience for this new crop of players, the majority of whom were gaining their first minutes at U20 level.” Cooper said. “We’re delighted to now award Emma, Evie, Freya and Lucy their first starts this week and give these players a valuable platform to express their rugby talents and implement our brand of Women’s Pathway rugby.
“The second-half showing against Canada spoke volumes about the determination and expression these players possess, it’s a credit to them given the short amount of time we’ve had together.
“We’ll be expecting more of the same this Wednesday and look for continuity in our approach to what will be another very challenging task against USA.”
Loughborough Lightning loose forward Lucy Finch resumes her captaincy this week, and midfielder Sarah Parry of Harlequins Women also maintains her role as vice-captain. Emma Gerrard, Evie Haskell, Freya McGinlay and Lucy Lawford are brought in for their U20 debuts, with Isabelle Jacques, Lottie Ball and Poppy Love called up onto the replacements bench, with the trio also in line for their first caps.
U18 Women’s head coach James Cooper will continue to lead the programme in game week 2 with support from LJ Lewis and her U20 Women’s staff. The England Women’s Pathway joins this year’s series following the U20 Women’s tri-series between Wales, USA and Canada in the summer of 2023.
England U20 Women team to face USA (including U20 caps)
15 Jess Doyle (North East, 1 cap)
14 Emma Gerrard (Northumbria University, uncapped)
13 Sarah Parry (vc) (Harlequins, 1 cap)
12 Molly Bunker (Hartpury College, 1 cap)
11 Daisy Aspinall (Hartpury College, 1 cap)
10 Emily Lunn (Henley College, 1 cap)
9 Evie Haskell (Mansfield RFC, uncapped)
1 Keira Muir (Oaklands College, 1 cap)
2 Heidi Pashaei-Tarighoun (SGS Filton College, 1 cap)
3 Ruby Winstanley (Harlequins, 1 cap)
4 Thea Sylvester (Trailfinders Women, 1 cap)
5 Freya McGinlay (Hartpury College, uncapped)
6 Lucy Lawford (Saracens Women, uncapped)
7 Abbie Hart (Loughborough College, 1 cap)
8 Lucy Finch (c) (Loughborough Lightning, 1 cap)
Replacements
16 Lucy Simpson (Hartpury College, 1 cap)
17 Isabelle Jacques (Bristol Bears Women, uncapped)
18 Zara Green (Harlequins, 1 cap)
19 Jasmine Adonri (City of Oxford College, 1 cap)
20 Lottie Ball (Henley College, uncapped)
21 Poppy Love (Walcats RFC, uncapped)
22 Becca Jackson (Hartpury College, 1 cap)
23 Tilly Pulfer (Exeter College, 1 cap)
England’s Transatlantic Quad Series fixtures
Friday 19th July 2024 – England 33-36 Canada – 17:30 BST kick-off – Cardiff Arms Park
Wednesday 24th July 2024 – England vs. USA – 17:30 BST kick-off – Cardiff Arms Park