Predicting Monday's England Six Nations training squad
Ahead of the start of the TikTok Women’s 6 Nations in three weeks, England head coach Simon Middleton will name his training squad on Monday.
Following a successful autumn campaign and a winning record stretching back 18 games, England will go into the championship hoping to add another five victories to that running total. With limited international opportunities remaining in this Rugby World Cup year, it is also a crucial window for the likes of Middleton to offer experience and focus on key areas such as his front row, the half backs and kicking options, and the balance of his midfield.
Looking at the forwards, in Maud Muir England have a player that can not only prop on both sides of the scrum but who is also being honed as a hooker option, at least in terms of line out throwing. If that does not secure the Wasps youngster a seat on the plane, who knows what will? The next few weeks will no doubt be another key step in Muir’s international journey.
An expected returning face should be that of Harlequins’ Shaunagh Brown. Left out of the autumn campaign, Brown has never been short on power but her work-on has been her scrummaging technique. Handily, at Quins she has been able to call on a British and Irish Lion in the form of Wales legend and club scrum coach, Adam Jones. Those evening classes perfecting the famed dark arts should see Brown take her place alongside the likes of Muir, Sarah Bern, Vickii Cornborough, Bryony Cleall, Amy Cokayne and Lark Davies.
The rest of England’s pack also remains an area of strength. Sarah Hunter is Middleton’s captain, by example and experience, with 130 caps behind her and in the second row engine room, Zoe Aldcroft is the girl-next-door style World Player of the Year who is a proven match winner.
Hunter’s role as number eight is not in question, albeit the main challenger is Poppy Cleall who could also be a potential successor or stand-in with the armband, as she was against New Zealand in the second test in November. That leadership opportunity allowed Cleall to demonstrate her encyclopaedic knowledge of rugby’s ever-nuanced law book, an advantage in dialogue with officials that will be seen as a key attribute, alongside her class as a player.
From the stalwart world champions of Fleetwood, Packer and Matthews to the fresher faces of twice capped Sadia Kabeya, whose stock is only rising, England are in rude health across the back row.
The biggest headline of Monday’s squad announcement could come at scrum-half. While Eddie Jones seems determined to look the other way while a player like Danny Care continues to be in rich form, Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt will be hoping that Simon Middleton is prepared to invite her back into the mix.
Hunt missed last year’s Women’s 6 Nations with an ankle injury but was then offered a chance to become a double Olympian with Team GB Sevens. A rigorous and committed period of rehab and training saw her take the field in Tokyo last August, only for the women to come away with a second fourth place at an Olympics, the cruellest of finishing positions.
Hunt returned to Gloucester Hartpury where she has led the side this season and been in superb form. She was not part of England’s autumn having believed to have requested some time away from the programme but as the world’s leading kicking scrum-half, Middleton could do well to consider a recall for the World Cup winner with just seven months to go until the big dance in New Zealand, if she’s ready to return. The competition with incumbent Leanne Infante and fresher faces of Lucy Packer and Ella Wyrwas would no doubt be fierce, while Claudia Macdonald sits out with injury.
While England’s men appear to be in an endless era of midfield uncertainty, Middleton will be hoping that the return of Emily Scarratt to Loughborough Lightning colours last week will enable him to sure up his preferred 13 option for the Red Roses. Scarratt is England’s primary goal-kicker and provides that tactical option too.
In November, having intimated that Scarratt was effectively irreplaceable, Middleton deployed the Harrison-Rowland-Aitchison 10-12-13 combination, a line up that is arguably three fly-halves strong. Harrison is Saracens’ first choice 10, Rowland adept at 10 or 12 and Aitchison has played 10, 12 and 15 just this year. All three can kick. It proved to present considerable threats and, unlike a Manu-less men’s team, showed that life without ‘Scaz’ is more than bearable.
The one thing missing was a dose of physicality, particularly in an era that seems to have moved beyond Amber Reed and her unfortunate periods of injury. One such solution could be a look at Gloucester Hartpury’s Tatyana Heard, last capped three years ago, who could bring that direct style and offload game to allow Scarratt some space. That could ensure England maintain their reputation as the full package. The grit to do the tough stuff with the finishing flare to inflate the score line.
England will go into the TikTok Women’s 6 Nations as favourites for the Grand Slam with France as their nearest rivals. The championship kicks off on 26th March, rolling through April with a Super Saturday finish on the 30th as the Red Roses take on Les Bleus away in Bayonne.
Comments on RugbyPass
Wasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
3 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
3 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe 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
3 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 Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 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!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 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.
30 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.
30 Go to comments