England squad for Black Ferns tests named

England are without a number of experienced players for the series through injury including Maggie Alphonsi, Rachael Burford, La Toya Mason and Joanna McGilchrist but are boosted by the return to the set-up by the likes of Claire Allan, Emma Croker and Fran Matthews.

Bristols Amber Reed and Worcesters Joanne Watmore are included in the squad having made their debuts last weekend against France.

Also in the squad are sisters Fran and Alex Matthew who are set to play their first ever England XVs match together. They will become the third set of sisters to run out for England, after Maxine and Jackie Edwards and the Mitchell twins Emma and Jane.

Katy McLean returns to lead England, while Lichfields Sarah Hunter(pictured)is named as vice-captain.

While it hasnt been confirmed by the RFU if any of these 27-players will also be part of the England Sevens side heading to Dubai at the end of the month for the World Series, given the inclusion of likes of Alice Richardson, Micheala Staniford , Watmore and Heather Fisher (all key Sevens players over the past year) it seems likely that some will do both. That would mean England effectively choosing for their final game against New Zealand at Twickenham from a smaller squad with the two tournaments directly clashing.

England are set to name their Sevens squad for Dubai tomorrow.

New Zealand will not have players involved in both tournaments with two separate squads selected to take part in both competitions.

England take on the Black Ferns on November 23 at Esher RFC, November 27 at the Aldershot Army Rugby Stadium and December 1 at Twickenham Stadium. The final game of the series will follow the mens QBE International between England and New Zealand. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports 1 HD and there will be free entry to the match following the final whistle of the mens game.

Street said: Excluding a handful of injuries this is the strongest squad I could have selected for this series. It is an exciting mix of power and pace and we have got some real experience too.

I am delighted that the likes of Alex Matthews, Jo Watmore and Amber Reed are in the squad. Alex may only have four caps but she has already played the world champions and knows what to expect of them while Jo and Amber showed they are ready to step-up to the next level after making their debuts at the weekend.

Our game against France at the weekend was a vitally important match. It was a testing and physical battle and we showed character and resolve under some real pressure. The match was ideal preparation for this series.

England last played New Zealand 12 months ago and England bounced back from their 2010 World Cup heartache to defeat the Black Ferns twice. The two sides then drew the final clash.

Seehere forthe Black Ferns squad

England

Claire Allan (Richmond)Emily Braund (Lichfield)Rowena Burnfield (Richmond)Rochelle Clark (Worcester)Emma Croker (Richmond)Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield)Heather Fisher (Worcester)Victoria Fleetwood (Lichfield)Hannah Gallagher (Saracens)Georgina Gulliver (Lichfield)Sophie Hemming (Bristol)Natasha Hunt (Lichfield)Sarah Hunter (VC) (Lichfield)Laura Keates (Worcester)Ceri Large (Worcester)Alexandra Matthews (Richmond)Francesca Matthews (Richmond)Katy McLean (C) (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)Katherine Merchant (Worcester)Marlie Packer (Bristol)Amber Reed (Bristol)Alice Richardson (Richmond)Emily Scarratt (Lichfield)Michaela Staniford (Wasps)Tamara Taylor (Lichfield)Danielle Waterman (Worcester)Joanne Watmore (Worcester)

England Women Autumn International Series:

Nov 3, 2012 - England 23 France 13 - Esher RFCNov 23, 2012 - England v New Zealand - Esher RFC - KO 730pm (Live on www.rfu.com/englandwomenlive)Nov 27, 2012 - England v New Zealand - Aldershot Army Rugby Stadium - KO 730pm. (Live on www.rfu.com/englandwomenlive)Dec 1, 2012 - England v New Zealand - Twickenham Stadium - KO 5pm (Live on Sky Sports 1HD)

Tickets for Englands Autumn International Series are available through www.ticketmaster.co.uk, priced at 10 for adults and 5 for Under 16s. This excludes the England v New Zealand game at Twickenham on December 1st as there is free entry to the stadium following the conclusion of the mens match.