Women's Rugby World Cup: England full-back Danielle Waterman out of final

Waterman is the only England player to have started every match at the World Cup

England full-back Danielle Waterman has been ruled out of the Women's Rugby World Cup final with concussion.

Defending champions England face New Zealand in Belfast on Saturday.

The 32-year-old, a World Cup winner in 2014, left the field in the first half of England's 20-3 semi-final victory over France on Tuesday for a head-injury assessment but did not return.

"Danielle has delivered outstanding performances throughout," said head coach Simon Middleton.

"It's disappointing to lose her for the final but we have a number of strong options available to us as we begin preparing."

Waterman, who made her Test debut in 2003 and has won 74 caps, does not have enough time to complete the game's 'return to play' protocols after failing her HIA on Tuesday.

She is the only England player to have started every match at the World Cup but misses out on playing in a fourth World Cup final.

Emily Scott, who represented Britain at the 2016 Olympics and was part of England's Grand Slam winning campaign earlier in the year, has been called up as a replacement.

She was originally named in England's 28-strong squad but to withdraw with injury.

"Emily can cover both fly-half and full-back positions and has invaluable experience playing in major tournaments," said Middleton.

"It was disappointing for Emily to miss out initially but she has successfully completed her rehab and is fit and ready to go."

World Cup final teams

England: Emily Scarratt; Lydia Thompson, Megan Jones, Rachel Burford, Kay Wilson; Katy Mclean, Natasha Hunt; Vickii Cornborough, Amy Cokayne, Sarah Bern, Abbie Scott, Tamara Taylor, Alex Matthews, Marlie Packer, Sarah Hunter (capt).

Replacements: Vicky Fleetwood, Rochelle Clark, Justine Lucas, Harriet Millar-Mills, Izzy Noel-Smith, La Toya Mason, Amber Reed, Amy Wilson Hardy

New Zealand: Selica Winiata; Portia Woodman, Stacey Waaka, Kelly Brazier, Renee Wickliffe; Victoria Subritzky-Nafatali, Kendra Cocksedge; Toka Natua, Fiao'o Faamausili (capt), Aldora Itunu, Eloise Blackwell, Charmaine Smith, Charmaine McMenamin, Sarah Goss, Aroha Savage,

Replacements: Te Kura Ngata-Aerengamate, Sosoli Talawadua, Aleisha Nelson, Rebecca Wood, Lesley Ketu,Kristina Sue, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Carla Hohepa