Sadia Kabeya: England can show their strength in depth against Scotland

Sadia Kabeya insists England are ready to prove they have the depth to overcome a mass of absentees when they face Scotland at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Saturday.

The Red Roses are missing 10 players to injury or pregnancy for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations Round 2 encounter, with double Women’s Rugby World Cup winner Alex Matthews the latest casualty because of a shoulder problem.

They have been hardest hit in the second row where the 22-year-old, six-cap Lilli Ives Campion is now the senior lock and she forms an engine room partnership with converted back row Abi Burton.

Kabeya sees the crisis as an opportunity for England to demonstrate the strength of their playing resources as they look to build on the 33-12 victory over Ireland that launched their championship.

“One thing everyone always says about this team is that we have strength in depth and we’ve got a really, really good chance to go and show that now,” the flanker said.

“It’s unfortunate having so many injuries and having big leaders out, but we have players coming in who are stepping up.

“They’ve been playing well in Premiership Women’s Rugby all season and our training has gone well.

“We are still a Red Roses squad but just with a few different names in there. We always talk about being one team and having depth and it’s now a chance to show that fully.”

A record crowd of over 25,000 will be present to watch Rachel Malcolm’s underdogs attempt to spring an upset in what will be the highest attendance for a standalone women’s sporting event in Scotland.

“I’ve never played at Murrayfield,” Kabeya said. “I remember watching from home the behind-closed-doors game there (England won 53-0 in 2020) when it was snowing and freezing, thinking ‘oh God, I’m glad I’m not there!’.

“At that time I was nowhere near the England squad, so now I have a chance to go and play there myself.

“The way the women’s game has gone over the past couple years, it’s been amazing to see that growth.

“It will mean a lot for the Scottish girls, so it’s going to be a very emotional day and an emotional game. It’s a day that will go down in history, so I’m super-excited to be a part of it.”