Seven new names in England squad
The England Women’s team to play Wales in their opening Six Nations encounter on Sunday, kick off 230pm at Swansea RFC, has been announced. Acting Head Coach Nicola Ponsford has named a squad which includes eight world cup winners and three new caps in the starting line-up. On the bench, four players could also be set to make their first starts for England.
Published by John Birch, February 3rd, 2015
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Darlington Mowden Park Sharks’ Tamara Taylor will captain the side with Wasps scrum-half La Toya Mason named as vice-captain. Taylor will marshal an experienced pack which includes just one debutant in Richmond flanker Hannah Field, while Mason is joined by World Cup winner Ceri Large at fly half. In the back line, Bristol duo Abbie Brown and Sydney Gregson will make their test debuts, having both previously represented England at sevens. All three new caps
Ponsford said: “This season is the start of a new world cup cycle for us so the Six Nations is an opportunity for us to bring on a number of new players. We have got some really exciting young players coming through who will learn a lot from this experience. Hannah Field, Abbie Brown and Sydney Gregson have all played international sevens so they already have some international experience under their belts.
“This talent will be supported by a huge amount of experience across the rest of the squad, with eight world cup winners in the starting line-up. The pack is particularly strong, led by Tamara Taylor as captain, with players like Rochelle Clark who knows better than anyone the intensity of Six Nations rugby, in particular playing away against Wales.
“I certainly think this year’s Six Nations will be the most open yet. All the squads are going through a rebuilding stage after last year’s world cup but we are confident that we have a squad who can register a solid performance to kick start our campaign. We have had a really positive four-day camp together last week and we are all just eager to get started now.”
England
16 Victoria Fleetwood (Saracens)*17 Victoria Cornborough (Richmond)18 Justine Lucas (Lichfield)*19 Abbie Scott (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)20 Harriet Millar-Mills (Waterloo)*21 Bianca Blackburn (Worcester)22 Lauren Cattell (Saracens)*23 Katie Mason (Bristol)
*denotes new cap