Black Ferns team named for Twickenham test

New Zealand's team to play England in this weekend's women's rugby international at Twickenham sees the inclusion of three new caps in the starting line-up.

Lock Eloise Blackwell (Auckland), winger Shakira Baker (Wellington) and flanker Amanda Murphy (Canterbury) make their debuts on Saturday.

Fellow debutants Rawinia Everitt and Hazel Tubic will get their chance to earn their first caps off the bench.

Nine players who started last year's World Cup final between the same two sides are retained, giving New Zealand a very strong, experienced look.

In the pack the newcomers are Kathleen Wilsomn (prop), Blackwell and Murphy and in the backs the three new faces are Amiria Rule who is back in the team having recovered from an injury which saw her miss the World Cup, Baker replaces Carla Hohepa who is travelling, while Rebecca Mahoney is the fly-half having benched last year at The Stoop.

The four-time Womens Rugby World Cup (WRWC) champion Black Ferns will play England immediately after the Barbarians take on Australia at Twickenham.

Coach Grant Hansen said the teams preparations for their first clash had gone well and the women were eager to take to the field.

Competition for starting positions has been strong throughout our trainings in England and it was a difficult task to name the 22 for this first Test.

The team is looking to start the tour with a strong performance at Twickenham. It is an honour to play at this ground and we are excited about what lies ahead, Hansen said.

It will be the first time the two sides have met since the Black Ferns beat England 13 10 in the 2010 WRWC Final.

The current tour is the first part of a three-year programme that will see the Black Ferns play England again in 2012 and 2013.

The game will be showed live on Sky Sports this weekend in the UK while in New Zealand the game is also live with the same broadcaster and delayed coverage follows on the Rugby Channel from 7.30am (NZT).

The Black Ferns team to play England at Twickenham:

(Test caps noted in brackets)

1 Kathleen Wilton (2)2 Fiaoo Faamausili (20)3 Mel Bosman (12)4 Vita Robinson (8)5 Eloise Blackwell (0)6 Amanda Murphy (0)7 Justine Lavea (14)8 Casey Robertson (28)9 Emma Jensen (21)10 Rebecca Mahoney (13)11 Renee Wickliffe (4)12 Amiria Rule (20)13 Kelly Brazier (7)14 Shakira Baker (0)15 Victoria Grant (C) (14)

Replacements:16 Karina Penetito (9)17 Doris Taufateau (4)18 Rawina Everitt (0)19 Aroha Savage (2)20 Kendra Cocksedge (8)21 Teresa Te Tamaki (2)22 Hazel Tubic (0)