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England World Cup squad features six survivors from 2014 title win
England have named a squad featuring six survivors from their 2014 World Cup triumph for their bid to claim New Zealand’s crown this autumn. Captain Sarah Hunter leads a 32-strong group that also includes flankers Marlie Packer and Alex Matthews, prop Laura Keates, wing Lydia Thompson and centre Emily Scarratt. Another star of 2014 fails to make the cut, however, after veteran scrum-half Natasha Hunt was omitted in favour of Leanne Infante, Claudia MacDonald and Lucy Packer.
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Head coach Simon Middleton has opted for a squad split of 19 forwards and 13 backs for an England World Cup campaign that opens against Fiji in Auckland on October 8, with 19 players making their first appearances in the tournament.
England enter the event as strong favourites after following up their Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year by amassing 125 points in their two warm-up fixtures against the USA and Wales, in the process extending their record winning run to 25 Tests.
“First and foremost I would like to start by acknowledging those who have missed out on selection,” Middleton said. “There is not one single player in the wider squad who hasn’t given their all. Nobody has given less than their absolute best, they should be proud of their efforts throughout the team’s campaign to date.
“If between now and the tournament, or during the World Cup, we have to call anyone up, we can do it with 100 per cent confidence that we are bringing a top player in. I would like to say a huge congratulations to those who have made the squad.
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗽 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱 👊
The 32 #RedRoses heading to New Zealand 🌹
𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 👉 https://t.co/zRb8XfeUHS#TeamDream pic.twitter.com/dlYKqWLdq3
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) September 20, 2022
“To earn selection means you have done some special things and you have been outstanding in your application to training and performances. We are really confident with the balance of the squad. I am pleased with the way the team is gelling and how our game is coming together. There is still plenty to work on, we expect to improve game-on-game.”
Hunter is the squad’s most capped player with 135 appearances and will be involved in her fourth World Cup, acting as skipper for three of them. “While this is not about singling out individuals, it would be remiss not to reference our captain Sarah Hunter,” Middleton said.
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“Sarah is a better captain now than she has ever been. She has owned the captaincy and how she represents the squad on and off the field is absolutely brilliant. When you work with someone for so long you sometimes need to remind yourself of her outstanding attributes, she is unbelievable in how she conducts herself.
“Her pride in and love of representing her country is as strong as ever. She is a class act and we are very fortunate to have her leading the side at this tournament.”
England World Cup squad
Forwards (19): Z Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury), S Bern (Bristol Bears), H Botterman (Saracens), S Brown (Harlequins), P Cleall (Saracens), A Cokayne (Harlequins), V Cornborough (Harlequins), L Davies (Bristol Bears), R Galligan (Harlequins), S Hunter (Loughborough Lightning, captain), S Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning), L Keates (University of Worcester Warriors), A Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury), M Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury), C O’Donnell (Loughborough Lightning), M Packer (Saracens), C Powell (Gloucester-Hartpury), M Talling (Loughborough Lightning), A Ward (Bristol Bears).
Backs (13): H Aitchison (Saracens), J Breach (Saracens), A Dow (Wasps), Z Harrison (Saracens), T Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury), L Infante (Saracens), E Kildunne (Harlequins), C MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs), S McKenna (Saracens), L Packer (Harlequins), H Rowland (Loughborough Lightning), E Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning), L Thompson (University of Worcester Warriors).
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Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments