England Women head coach Simon Middleton is confident his squad have what it takes to perform on the biggest stage, as his 28-player squad for the Super Series at the end of June was announced.
The Red Roses head to San Diego to pit their wits against the world’s top ranked teams New Zealand, Canada, USA and France, with the aim of adding world domination to success in Europe.
The Six Nations Grand Slam winners go into the tournament on the back of a 40-14 win over the Barbarians earlier this month and will be full of belief ahead of the tournament.
Uncapped duo Chloe Edwards and Clara Nielson – who made their debut in that Barbarians fixture – make the squad, alongside Heather Kerr, who featured for England’s opposition in that match.
Sarah Beckett and Emily Scarratt return following injury and Middleton believes the competition is an exciting chance for his team to show where they are in their development.
With the squad due to meet up for the first time on June 10, the 53-year-old said that preparation would be focused on England’s own game and integrating new and returning members into the side.
He said: “The Super Series provides us with the perfect platform against high-calibre competition to see exactly where we are as a squad and just as crucially how far we still have to go in order to reach the levels we aspire to.
“It’s about taking our game to the next stage. The level at which we can repeat perform under pressure will ultimately tell us where we are as a group at this point.
“This camp and another one we have next week will allow us to work on key areas and keep developing our game, as well as welcoming back a number of players who are coming back after injury.
“This will be an important experience for them and there will be a real test of character and resilience with some four-day turnarounds.
“We’ve been looking to continually improve every time we take to the pitch, be that in training or a match, and we want to build on that as we complete our final preparations for San Diego.
“I think fans can expect some cracking games to really showcase women’s rugby and what we’re capable of as an international competition.”
England’s campaign gets underway on June 28 against hosts USA.
Full England Women squad for 2019 Super Series:
Forwards
Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury Women) Sarah Beckett (Firwood Waterloo Ladies) Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears Women) Hannah Botterman (Saracens Women) Poppy Cleall (Saracens Women) Vickii Cornborough (Harlequins Ladies) Lark Davies (Worcester Valkyries) Chloe Edwards (Harlequins Ladies) Sarah Hunter (Captain, Loughborough Lightning) Heather Kerr (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks) Clara Nielson (Bristol Bears Women) Cath O’Donnell (Loughborough Lightning) Marlie Packer (Saracens Women) Ellena Perry (Saracens Women) Abbie Scott (Harlequins Ladies)
Backs
Zoe Harrison (Saracens Women) Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury Women) Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury Women) Claudia MacDonald (Wasps FC Ladies) Sarah McKenna (Saracens Women) Amber Reed (Bristol Bears Women) Leanne Riley (Harlequins Ladies) Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning) Emily Scott (Harlequins Ladies) Kelly Smith (Gloucester-Hartpury Women) Lydia Thompson (Worcester Valkyries) Lagi Tuima (Bristol Bears Women) Carys Williams (Loughborough Lightning)
