England head coach Simon Middleton is calling on all his players to step up to the challenge of the Women’s Rugby Super Series as he makes nine changes ahead of the Red Roses’ second round match against Canada on Saturday.
The Red Roses enjoyed a perfect start to their Super Series title defence as they secured 38-5 triumph against the hosts USA in San Diego last week.
Heather Kerr crossed twice for the reigning champions, with Kelly Smith, Claudia MacDonald, Mo Hunt and Emily Scarratt also dotting down to secure a bonus point.
Scarratt added eight points with the boot to put England well clear in victory, Hope Rogers crossing for the hosts’ only points in the first-half.
But Kerr and Scarratt will be on the replacements bench on Saturday as Middleton has made nine changes to the side to play Canada in their second match of the series, with captain Sarah Hunter, Sarah Beckett, Catherine O’Donnell, Vickii Cornborough, Lark Davies, Hannah Botterman, Emily Scott, Millie Wood and Carys Williams all coming into the starting XV.
Making nine changes after a comprehensive opening victory may seem extreme, but Middleton says he needs every member of the squad to perform if they want to retain their Super Series title.
“It’s huge when Sarah Hunter players for us. We have some great back row players, but she has so much character and leadership so it’s great to have her back,” said Middleton.
“This game is about taking the things we’ve done in training onto the field. It feels like quite a while since we played our first game but we’re now really ready to go.
“Touring and being successful in major competitions is about using your squad and players stepping up and taking their opportunities. We’ve got 28 players and now it’s about trusting them to do their jobs individually and collectively.
“In any successful squad you need players to demonstrate adaptability, players who can step in and step up are a valuable commodity when it comes to playing in Test series and World Cups.
“This will be a really though game against a formidable and confident Canada side and as such proves a great opportunity to lots of players who have been sat waiting.”
Canada were beaten 35-20 by New Zealand in the first round but responded with a 36-19 win over France in round two when England had a bye.
While Middleton was impressed with his side’s opening performance against USA, the head coach insists his team will need to take their game to another level if they want to build on last week’s victory over the host nation and beat Canada, who, according to him, are on the up.
“I think Canada have got the competition going with their performance against France as I don’t think many people expected them to win,” added Middleton.
“They play very differently now to what they used to, and they play to their strengths which is that physical nature. They’re really organised, come at you in attack in a very specific manner and can be very difficult to get the ball off.
“They have also grown their kicking game which proved to be very effective against both New Zealand and France so it’s going to be a massive challenge.”
