Red Roses name Rugby World Cup final team
Simon Middleton has named his England 23 to face New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.
The Red Roses will play in front of a sold-out Eden Park home crowd, but this hasn’t deterred their preparation.
“There can be no bigger challenge in sport than to play the world champions in their own backyard in front of a sell-out crowd – 99.9% of which will be forming part of the opposition.
“Great teams don’t fear those challenges, they embrace them, and meet them head on, that’s what we intend to do,” Middleton said.
Sarah Hunter once again captains the side from number eight, assisted by vice-captain Emily Scarratt at outside centre. The two have 246 caps between them and have both played in four World Cup finals.
The front row is made up of Vickii Cornborough, Amy Cokayne, and Sarah Bern.
Hannah Botterman, who started at tight head against Canada, was unfortunate to miss out on a place due to a knee injury she sustained in training.
Player of the match against Canada last week Zoe Aldcroft starts at 4, with Abbie Ward wearing the 5 shirt.
Alex Matthews of Gloucester-Hartpury starts on the right flank, accompanied by Marlie Packer on the left in her third World Cup final.
The Saracens pairing of Zoe Harrison and Leanne Infante take the fly half and scrum half positions respectively, with club teammate Holly Aitchison at inside centre.
Wasps winger Abby Dow starts at 11, and looks to add to her try tally of four so far this World Cup. Lydia Thompson comes back into the squad for the final on the right wing.
Ellie Kildunne completes the starting squad at full-back.
Middleton has opted for a six-two split between forwards and backs for his finishers. Lark Davies, Maud Muir, Shaunagh Brown, Cath O’Donnell, Poppy Cleall, and Sadia Kabeya complete the forwards. England will be looking to have a big impact from the forward pack, as we’ve seen in previous games, complimented by an electric backline.
Claudia MacDonald and Tatyana Heard have impressed in the tournament so far, and complete the team for the final.
Hollie Davidson (Scotland) referees the game, her second world cup final in two months after refereeing the sevens World Cup final. She was also present the last time the two played each other in a World Cup final in 2017, as an assistant referee.
15. Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 30 caps)
14. Lydia Thompson (University of Worcester Warriors, 57 caps)
13. Emily Scarratt (VC; Loughborough Lightning, 107 caps)
12. Holly Aitchison (Saracens, 14 caps)
11. Abby Dow (Wasps, 29 caps)
10. Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 45 caps)
9. Leanne Infante (Saracens, 57 caps)
1. Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins, 74 caps)
2. Amy Cokayne (Harlequins, 69 caps)
3. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 51 caps)
4. Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 37 caps)
5. Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears, 60 caps)
6. Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury, 55 caps)
7. Marlie Packer (Saracens, 88 caps)
8. Sarah Hunter (C; Loughborough Lightning, 139 caps)
Finishers
16. Lark Davies (Bristol Bears, 43 caps)
17. Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury, 16 caps)
18. Shaunagh Brown (Harlequins, 29 caps)
19. Cath O’Donnell (Loughborough Lightning, 23 caps)
20. Poppy Cleall (Saracens, 62 caps)
21. Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning, 7 caps)
22. Claudia MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs, 23 caps)
23. Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury, 8 caps)
