3. Combinations in the Red Roses midfield – Heard and Rowland the choice to start
There has been plenty of discussion this week regarding the status of the Red Roses midfield, following the untimely injury to Meg Jones. John Mitchell has gone with the partnership of Tatyana Heard at 12 and Helena Rowland at 13, with the Gloucester-Hartpury and Loughborough Lightning midfielders ready to bring the fight to the French back-line.
Heard spoke in a media session earlier this week about how she will miss the unmatched vocality of Jones, but welcomes the challenge of building a new partnership with whoever gets the nod for the 13 jersey. Emily Scarratt was firmly amongst the conversation for the starting outside centre shirt, as was uncapped hopeful Phoebe Murray. The decision sees ‘Scaz’ take a seat amongst the replacements, with no place in the match day 23 for Bristol Bears midfielder Murray.
JOHN MITCHELL: “As you can see, we put trust in Megan. We put trust in Helena. I think Scaz (Emily Scarratt) is getting back to to a really good position. So she’s not far away. She looks leaner, she looks faster, she’s in a good place. So you know, we’re very lucky with the depth that’s in that position.”
“She (Emily Scarratt) can concentrate on as I said, she can still play 12, but I think with a pre-season, the context is quite different to what she experienced last year. She came back from injury. We already had two 13s, so we’ve been looking for another gain line 12. We’re still looking for that second gain line 12 as well. So that hasn’t gone from my from my thinking.
“But to give Emily every chance in the preseason to get back to the position that she’s really good at (13), we’ve allowed her to do that. She’s done a good job. She’s put up a really, really, good case. That’s probably the most difficult decision in this mix, having gone for Helena.”
4. Former England U20s Captain Lilli Ives Campion on the bench for her Test debut
An example of how the litany of injuries throughout the England squad, are providing opportunities for new players to step up to the role, is the inclusion of Lilli Ives Campion in the match day 23. The uncapped Loughborough Lightning lock takes up the number 19 shirt amongst the replacements, having been given the call following the injuries to Abby Ward, Cath O’Donnell and Rosie Galligan.
Now is the time for Campion to rise to the occassion, with plenty of anticipation upon her first cap for the Red Roses. Campion’s captain Marlie packer was full of praise for the lock, who has been bestowed the nickname ‘Queen Lil’ by her England skipper. The former England Women U20s captain is a recent graduate of the age-grade system, with the excitement building around the 20-year-old.
MARLIE PACKER: Lilli, Queen Lil, I call her. She’s lovely. Obviously, she’s come from 20s, captain in under 20s. It was really nice when we came first into pre-season and just chatting about her time, I knew what she was feeling and going on about (as a captain), but again, she stepped up over pre-season.
“I think for me, personally, it’s been one of the toughest pre-seasons I’ve ever been involved in with the Red Roses and with that, I think, the young players that have come up through like Lilli, have really stepped up to it. We talk about ‘attack the session’, but we’ve attacked pre-season like that.
“She’s reaping up the rewards with being given a place on the bench to receive her first cap. I know myself and the whole squad are really backing her to when she does do it, enjoy it. She’s got the performance in her to really perform.”
5. England have beaten France 13 times in a row – Red Roses won’t get complacent
England have established a solid run of dominance against France in recent years, with the Red Roses currently holding a 13 match winning streak against Les Bleus. The last time that France managed to record a win over England was back in the 2018 Women’s Six Nations, when France grabbed a narrow one-point win in Grenoble’s Stade de Alpes. France have come close to beating England since then, with four matches decided by two points between the rivals.
Whilst the winning streak remains in tact for now, France continue to push on from strength to strength and close down the gap on their European nemesis. With the likes of Manae Feleu leading Les Bleus into their new generation, England understand that despite their recent run of victories against France, they can’t afford to get complacent.
MARLIE PACKER: “I think for me, the girls, it’s always about the next job. So obviously, things are made in training where it doesn’t go our way, and actually it’s about if something goes wrong, how do we process that and move on or go forward?
“I think we don’t look at it like we beat France in however many games actually, they’re our next opponent, that’s our focus, and we don’t focus about anything else until the job is done. I don’t know it’s a bit cliche, but we take the first 10 minutes (at a time), first 40, then we go into the second half. But that’s generally what we have to do. Because, you know, if you do start wondering, which I don’t think any of us do, then the result won’t go the way we want it to.”
JOHN MITCHELL: “This team’s got a lot of belief against France. I think it’s only a couple of girls that haven’t started or beaten France before. So that’s a huge consideration. So yeah, I’m big on trust, big on creating belief around what’s been done before, and it just forces others to chase and get better.”
“It’s unlikely, with a year out now (to the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup) that we’re going to expose somebody that’s not used to our environment, but there’s always, I guess, room for a bolter.”