Red Roses ponder options as World Cup countdown begins against US

England’s 2017 World Cup ended with the players hugging one another, shaking from tears and heartbreak at their failure to defend the title. After the 41-32 defeat to New Zealand the Red Roses watched as their trophy from 2014 was lifted by one of their biggest rivals. Fast forward five years (the extra one due to the pandemic) and Simon Middleton’s England are just 35 days away from launching their bid to avenge that defeat.

On Saturday they face the USA Eagles at Sandy Park, one of two friendlies – the other is against Wales on 14 September – aimed at helping them into their best shape for their revenge mission this autumn. The England head coach says Saturday’s fixture is crucial to their preparation.

Kildunne; Breach, Scarratt (capt), Heard, MacDonald; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cockayne, B Cleall, Galligan, O’Donnell, Aldcroft, Kabeya, P Cleall. Replacements: Powell, Muir, Brown, Talling, Fleetwood, Infante, Rowland, Aitchison.

“It’s a little bit of a discovery match for us,” he said. “There’s some combinations we want to look at, some individual performances we want to look at and off the back of this we are probably going to make some 50/50 calls on the squad. That is probably the biggest [purpose].

“We’re close [to finalising the World Cup squad] but I would say there are at least four or five calls we have to make.”

Middleton will be able to take 32 players to New Zealand and added he is choosing from a squad of 39, so seven will have to be cut. The squad announcement will take place on 20 September and the Saturday matchday 23 gives some hints as to who the head coach could be deliberating on.

Among the selections is Tatyana Heard, who gets her first cap since 2019 at inside-centre, Claudia MacDonald – who can