Women's Six Nations: England captain Sarah Hunter to miss Grand Slam decider

Sara Hunter suffered a rib injury during England's win over Ireland

England captain Sarah Hunter will miss Saturday's Grand Slam decider against France with a rib injury.

The veteran number eight has been forced to withdraw from the squad after suffering the injury in the 69-0 victory over Ireland.

Hunter, 36, will still travel to France and join the squad to support preparations in an off-field capacity.

Both sides have won their opening four games of the tournament, with the Grand Slam on the line in Bayonne.

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Hunter has won 134 caps for her country and her omission from the playing squad will be "massive", according to teammates Ellie Kildunne and Marlie Packer.

Sarah Beckett and Sadia Kabeya are among the players who could step in, and versatile back Kildunne says the defending champions will be "prepared" in France.

"Not only does she bring really good rugby skills but she is also a really good leader," Kildunne said at Tuesday's news conference.

"But we will still be prepared, nonetheless, and I don't think it will impact us too much because we have people who can fill in.

"We have had Zoe [Aldcroft] doing some of the captaincy roles and Poppy [Cleall] as well, so it's not going to change the way we train or play and it's more of a reason to come home with the Grand Slam."

Those comments were echoed by back row forward Packer, who says Hunter's presence in France will be a "positive" for the squad.

"She brings so much on the field but also off it," Packer told BBC Sport.

"She galvanizes the team and, lucky enough for us, she is going to fly out, which is really positive. Just having her voice and the way she handles herself really resonates with the rest of the squad.

"I'm obviously gutted for her, but it's one of those things, and it can happen to any of us."

'We rise to big occasions'

England are chasing a 23rd consecutive Test wins with victory in France, after sealing number 22 and setting a new record against Ireland.

They were backed by a record 15,836 fans at Welford Road - the highest number of supporters at a ticketed England women's home game - but it will be a different story at the Stade Jean Dauger.

France are often backed by a vociferous crowd of their own, and Kildunne says the players have to adapt different strategies of communication when they cross the channel.

"Playing against France, in front of their crowd, is something I have only done once," said the 22-year-old.

"We have played them behind closed doors [during Covid-19 restrictions] but it is something different [with the crowd].

"When I first played with the crowd we had to use sign language because you couldn't hear each other speaking. Hopefully it won't be a distraction, and it's something that fuels us.

"France don't stop working. They have a big pack with a lot of tall girls and good ball handlers with speed in the backs.

"It is a step up from the other games we have played and we have to make sure we are clinical because we won't get many opportunities to break them down."

"You know whenever you come up against France it is going to be a big match, especially playing away, but we rise to big occasions so everyone is excited for the game."