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England legend Emily Scarratt to join exclusive club against New Zealand
Emily Scarratt will become only the third woman to make 100 Test starts for England when the Red Roses welcome New Zealand to Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
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Scarratt is one of five changes to the team that beat France 38-19 in Gloucester last weekend as the hosts attempt to extend their 16-Test winning run in their final warm-up match for WXV 1 in Canada.
The Loughborough Lightning centre comes into midfield for Helena Rowland, who drops to the bench, to win her 113th cap and will line up outside of Tatyana Heard in the only tweak to the backline.
Scarratt joins fellow Women’s Rugby World Cup 2014 winners Sarah Hunter, the current Red Roses defence coach, and Rocky Clark in reaching a century of starts.
“Everything was planned,” Red Roses coach John Mitchell told reporters following the team announcement.
“We’ve got two world-class 13s, so Helena got a start last week and Emily’s getting the start this week.”
He added: “I’m expecting [Scarratt] to play really well on the weekend and expecting to see her experience certainly show.”
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In the forwards, there is an all-new front-row as tighthead prop Sarah Bern starts for the first time since November and loosehead Mackenzie Carson and hooker Lark Atkin-Davies also come in.
It is the same triumvirate that started the 33-12 victory against the Black Ferns in Auckland that clinched the inaugural WXV 1 title for England 10 months ago.
Abbie Ward is fit again following injury and returns to the second row, alongside Zoe Aldcroft, to win her 66th cap with Morwenna Talling named among the replacements.
Meanwhile, uncapped Gloucester-Hartpury flanker Georgia Brock will make her Test debut if called upon from the bench.
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“George is a great girl,” Brock’s club-mate and England vice-captain Aldcroft said.
“I just think this season she’s really come into her own. She’s been a key player for us and she’s really secured her starting place in the Gloucester team.
“And now for her to come up to England and kind of show what she’s been up to in the season this pre-season, it’s really exciting and I’m so, so happy for her to be able to get her first cap.”
Aldcroft was sporting a black eye given to her by a “little boot” from her skipper Marlie Packer. “That’s how brutal our training has been this week,” the second row joked.
Black Ferns number eight Liana Mikaele-Tu’u revealed earlier this week that Saturday’s meeting in Twickenham was one they had been preparing for since the start of the year.
And it is a special occasion too for the world’s number one side, whose sole defeat in their previous 47 Tests was the World Cup final loss against New Zealand two years ago.
“There’s always an excitement around it. World champions against world number one,” Aldcroft added.
“Every week we try to be at our best in training but yeah, there is that extra edge going into it. You always want to get that extra edge on playing the Black Ferns.”
England team to play New Zealand:
15. Ellie Kildunne
14. Abby Dow
13. Emily Scarratt
12. Tatyana Heard
11. Jess Breach
10. Holly Aitchison
9. Natasha Hunt
1. Mackenzie Carson
2. Lark Atkin-Davies
3. Sarah Bern
4. Zoe Aldcroft
5. Abbie Ward
6. Maddie Feaunati
7. Marlie Packer (captain)
8. Alex Matthews
Replacements:
16. Amy Cokayne
17. Hannah Botterman
18. Maud Muir
19. Morwenna Talling
20. Georgia Brock
21. Lucy Packer
22. Zoe Harrison
23. Helena Rowland
Congratulations Emily Scarratt, I was at Leicester when she received her 100th cap against Ireland so to witness her 100th is quite something. I am backing Red Roses to win but I think they will struggle for fluency and control initially before growing into the match. Black Ferns will have opportunities.
I don't think the fixture was agreed until after the 6N, so the BF no 8 must be a clairvoyant. Looking forward to being there immensely with my grandchildren.