Jade Shekells will play her first full game for England. She is one of nine new players picked by coach John Mitchell for the match against Scotland.
Shekells is 28 years old and plays for Gloucester-Hartpury. She played for the GB Sevens team at the Olympics and came off the bench in her first match against Italy.
Former England captain Marlie Packer is back in the team. She has not played since the first game against Italy. She is one try away from scoring 50 tries for England.
Zoe Aldcroft took over as captain in January. She is the only England player who has started every game in this tournament. She will play as blind-side flanker again.
Maddie Feaunati, who played well in the first two matches, is back in the team as number eight. Rosie Galligan replaces Morwenna Talling and will play with Abbie Ward in the second row.
Sarah Bern and Kelsey Clifford will start as props after scoring tries in the last match. Hannah Botterman and Maud Muir will be on the bench. May Campbell, a hooker from Saracens, is also on the bench. She might play her third game for England if needed.
Ward said, “Marlie helps the team a lot, even when she’s not playing. She brings both energy and calmness to the squad.”
Scotland lost badly to England last year (46-0). They also lost 25-17 to Italy in their last game. Their only win so far was against Wales.
If England wins on Saturday and France loses to Italy, England will win the Six Nations title for the seventh time in a row. The Women’s Rugby World Cup starts in August, and England will host it.
Latest Women’s Six Nations Table
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | PD | Bonus | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Ireland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -14 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 | Italy | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -67 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Scotland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -28 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -88 | 1 | 1 |
Line-up
England Starting Lineup:
Kildunne at full-back; Dow, Jones, Shekells, and MacDonald in the backline; Aitchison and Lucy Packer as the half-backs.
In the forwards: Clifford, Atkin-Davies, and Bern make up the front row. Galligan and Ward are in the second row, with Aldcroft (captain), Marlie Packer, and Feaunati in the back row.
Replacements (bench):
Campbell, Botterman, Muir, Talling, Matthews, Hunt, Rowland, and Scarratt.
Coach Mitchell has changed the half-backs, bringing in Lucy Packer and Holly Aitchison for Natasha Hunt and Zoe Harrison. Aitchison starts at fly-half for the first time this Six Nations. Packer, who has four try assists like Harrison, is also pushing for a regular spot.
Ellie Kildunne, Megan Jones, and Jade Shekells keep their places, having all played at the Paris Olympics. Claudia MacDonald returns after injury and starts on the wing, replacing Jessica Breach, with Abby Dow on the other wing.
Veteran Emily Scarratt, who has 117 caps, is back on the bench. The Leicester-born star last played in round one and hopes for strong home support.
England are on a 23-match winning run and chasing their fourth straight Grand Slam. Wins for England and France this weekend could set up a title decider on April 26.
