England’s Super Series squad named

Sarah Hunter is handed the captaincy having recovered from injury toplay in her first tournament since the World Cup while Katy Mclean is ruled out through injury.

Emily Scarratt also returns to XVs rugby for the first time this season having been involved in England’s sevens Olympic qualification campaign. The centre/fullback has been named as vice-captain. Marlie Packer and Heather Fisher are also back for their first starts in ten months. England will also be naming squads for the upcoming European Sevens Championships - though they have already qualified for the Olympics so can afford to experiment with a less experienced side.

England will travel to Canada with two uncapped players in Megan Jones and Lark Davies.

Head coach Simon Middleton, who travels to Canada with new XVs Lead Coach Scott Bemand and XV Assistant Coach Matt Ferguson, said: “This is a really exciting squad and we are really looking forward to developing as a team, and playing against some stellar opposition.

“We have brought back some experienced names in Sarah Hunter, Heather Fisher and Marlie Packer. They will bolster our already strong backrow options with Hannah Gallagher and Alex Matthews doing a great job during the Six Nations.

“Emily will also be vital both on and off the field. She is a world class player and can offer so much experience to our younger squad members.

“We have our sights set on the 2017 Rugby World Cup so I am really excited to see how players like Lark Davies and Megan Jones fair on this tour as this is their opportunity to step up. Players like Bianca Blackburn, Abbie Brown and Amy Cokayne also showed their potential during the Six Nations. By nurturing this talent now, we will bolster the depth in our squad which is really exciting for the future.”

Middleton added: “The most important things for us in Canada is our performance and developing that winning mentality. With this new squad, we are working hard to develop the style of play we want to play, and finding out as much as we can about each other. I have confidence in this squad and I know that if we get the performance right, the results will come.”

England summer tour squad

Bianca Blackburn,Abbie  Brown,Rowena Burnfield,Rochelle Clark,Amy Cokayne,Victoria Cornborough,Lark Davies,Heather Fisher,Vicky  Fleetwood,Hannah Gallagher,SarahHunter (Captain),Megan Jones,Laura  Keates,Ceri Large,Justine Lucas,Katie Mason,Alexandra Matthews,Sarah McKenna,Marlie Packer,Fiona  Pocock,Amber  Reed,Leanne Riley (Saracens),Emily Scarratt (VC),Abbie  Scott,Emily Scott,Tamara Taylor,Lydia Thompson,Kay Wilson