England Women head coach Simon Middleton believes that the Red Roses’ strength in depth has allowed them to enter tomorrow’s World Cup final against New Zealand in the best possible shape.
Middleton makes one change to the starting XV that beat France 20-3 in the semi-final, with Megan Jones starting at outside centre at Belfast’s Kingspan stadium (kick-off 7.45pm).
Jones came off the bench against France to score the late try that confirmed England’s place in Saturday’s showdown – underlining the quality in England’s squad.
“Our goal was to get to this point in the tournament, using the full breadth of the squad and rotating players to ensure we were in the best possible position to peak on Saturday,” said Middleton.
“The strength in depth of this squad and the quality across all 28 players has meant we have been able to do just that.
“We have full confidence in this squad. As a group they have consistently delivered quality performances throughout the tournament.
“It’s now about finishing the job and leaving nothing out on the field come Saturday.”
This is England’s fifth consecutive World Cup final and captain Sarah Hunter leads out a team packed with experience.
Lock Tamara Taylor starts her fourth World Cup final, while fly-half Katy Mclean plays in her third. Emily Scarratt, meanwhile, kicked ten points in the semi-final to take her tally to 424 and become England Women record points scorer. With Danielle Waterman out injured, Scarratt has shifted to full-back for this game.
This is the fourth occasion that England have faced New Zealand in a World Cup final, with the Black Ferns triumphing in 2002, 2006 and 2010. Yet the Red Roses claimed the spoils when the two sides last met, winning 29-21 in June 2017 in Rotorua.
France face USA in the Bronze final (kick-off 5pm) and captain Gaëlle Mignot is refusing to let her team-mates’ heads drop after the hard-fought defeat to England.
“We did not fail because we lost a game,” said Mignot defiantly.
“We made technical mistakes, but that’s part of the game. You can’t always be at the top and unfortunately it was like that for us.
“It doesn’t mean that we haven’t worked hard and we deserve something more than fourth place.”
Les Bleues have made six changes to their team with flanker Romane Ménager available once again after missing the game against England with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Ireland are aiming to end their home World Cup on a high as they take on Wales in the seventh-place play-off (kick-off 2pm). Head coach Tom Tierney is aware that there’s more than just pride at stake.
“It really is a cup final tomorrow, with automatic qualification for the 2021 Women’s World Cup on the line,” said Tierney.
“Wales have shown that they have a strong set-piece, and we’ve had challenging games with them over the last few seasons in the Six Nations.
“It’s been a tough few weeks, but I know that the players really want to put in a performance tomorrow and as they have said, leave the green jersey in a better place.”
Saturday’s clash will be fiercely fought if the last meeting in the Six Nations is anything to go by – Ireland emerging 12-7 winners in a tense tussle at Cardiff Arms Park.
“There’s huge motivation among this team to finish the tournament on a high,” said Wales head coach Rowland Phillips.
“We’ve seen a lot of development among the squad, which is gratifying as we look ahead to next year’s Women’s Six Nations and the next Women’s Rugby World Cup.”
Italy face Spain in the ninth-place play-off (kick-off 2.30pm). This is the second match between the sides in quick succession after Spain ran out 22-8 winners in Pool B eight days ago.
“We will not treat it as a rematch,” said Italy coach Andrea di Giandomenico.
“It is crucial that we only focus on ourselves. We know our potential and when we play at 100% we can trouble anyone.
“We want to close the World Cup in the best possible way.”
