Defending Champions England Announce WRWC 2017 Squad

Rachael Burford (Harlequins), 124-times capped prop Rochelle Clark (Worcester Valkyries), Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks) and Danielle Waterman (Bristol) all head to their fourth consecutive World Cup, having appeared in every tournament since 2006.

Bristol back rower Sarah Hunter, who captained the team to their first Six Nations Grand Slam since 2012 earlier this season, will lead the side with Emily Scarratt from Lichfield named as vice-captain.

England, the 2014 World Cup winners, are drawn in Pool B alongside Spain, Italy and the USA, and kick off their campaign against Spain at the UCD Bowl on Wednesday, August 9 at 2pm. All England games will be broadcast live on ITV.

Head coach Simon Middleton has named a squad of significant experience, sharing a total of 1207 caps. 15 players were part of the Red Roses’ 2014 World Cup-winning squad and six players – Waterman, Scarratt, Natasha Hunt (Lichfield), Katy Mclean (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Emily Scott (Saracens) and Amy Wilson Hardy (Bristol) – lined out with the Great Britain Sevens team at last year’s Rio Olympic Games.

Following a successful three-Test tour in New Zealand where the Red Roses overcame Australia (53-10), Canada (27-20) and the Black Ferns (29-21) in this month’s International Series, the England side go into the competition ranked number one team in the world.

“We are confident we have an incredibly strong squad, made up of hugely experienced players who have featured in previous Women’s Rugby World Cups and other major tournaments such as the Olympics,” said Middleton.

“At the same time, we have younger players who have been involved in a Grand Slam-winning side and a successful three-Test series against some of the best teams in the world earlier this month.

“Selection is probably one of the toughest jobs you do as a coach. This is not just a squad of the 28 players travelling to Ireland, but represents all those who have contributed so much this season to make this the team it is.

“Our focus has always been on going to Ireland to win the Women’s Rugby World Cup. To do that we are going to have to give more than in any competition we’ve played over the past year.”

Number 8 and captain Hunter added: “It’s a massive honour to captain England in the Women’s Rugby World Cup. It’s a hugely exciting time for everyone and we are now looking forward to getting back out on the training pitch, confident from our performances in New Zealand and ready to build on those and improve again.”

#WRWC2017 Team Profile: England

WRWC 2017 Fixtures:

Pool B –

England v Spain, UCD Bowl, 2pm, Wednesday, August 9
England v Italy, Billings Park, UCD, 2.30pm, Sunday, August 13
England v USA, Billings Park, UCD, 2.30pm, Thursday, August 17

For more on the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup, visit the tournament website – www.rwcwomens.com. Buy your match tickets for #WRWC2017 now on www.ticketmaster.co.uk/wrwc2017 and www.ticketmaster.ie/wrwc2017.

Injury Replacement: Poppy Cleall (Bristol) has replaced Emily Scott (Saracens) in the squad

ENGLAND WRWC 2017 Squad: Backs (13) – Rachael Burford (Harlequins), Natasha Hunt (Lichfield), Megan Jones (Bristol), La Toya Mason (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Katy Mclean (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Amber Reed (Bristol), Leanne Riley (Harlequins), Emily Scarratt (Lichfield) (vice-capt), Lydia Thompson (Worcester Valkyries), Danielle Waterman (Bristol), Kay Wilson (Richmond), Amy Wilson Hardy (Bristol).

Forwards (15) – Zoe Aldcroft (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Sarah Bern (Bristol), Rochelle Clark (Worcester Valkyries), Poppy Cleall (Bristol), Amy Cokayne (Lichfield), Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins), Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens), Sarah Hunter (Bristol) (capt), Heather Kerr (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Justine Lucas (Lichfield), Alex Matthews (Richmond), Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield), Izzy Noel-Smith (Bristol), Marlie Packer (Bristol), Abbie Scott (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks).

Related Links –

Two New Caps Included In Australia’s WRWC 2017 Squad

Canterbury Release Limited Edition WRWC 2017 Ireland Jersey

Women’s Rugby World Cup Website