Pregnant England coach Hunter will not travel to WXV

Sarah Hunter took over England's defence after she finished playing in 2023

England defence coach Sarah Hunter will not travel to Canada this autumn for WXV1 as she prepares for the birth of her first child.

The former England captain will continue her role from the United Kingdom, with England pathway scrum coach Nathan Catt stepping in to assist, England head coach John Mitchell revealed.

Hunter, 38, has expressed a desire to return to her role by the 2025 Six Nations.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Mitchell said he is open to being flexible on her return.

"She's very, very keen, but you also have to respect when you become a mum, things can change," said Mitchell.

"We're happy to give that space and I'm sure we'll see Sarah at some point in the World Cup preparation, but it's really important she transitions really well as a mum first."

The 38-year-old announced her pregnancy with her partner Nathan Smith, on her Instagram page over the summer.

She is the most capped England player of all-time with 141 caps, and will continue to work while England are in Vancouver up until the birth.

"She'll direct it and then Catty [Nathan Catt] will look after the forwards on the ground and I'll look after the backs," added Mitchell.

"Should Sarah have an early arrival well then obviously Catty will lead that and I'll just stay in my role as head coach, but obviously we've had a number of bouncing balls over the summer with Deacs [Louis Deacon] having a back operation on a prolapsed disc so I've just had to roll up my sleeves a little bit more on the field.

"Even today running around I think I did about four kilometres so yeah, I'm actually enjoying it but ultimately at the end of the day ultimately I've got to make sure I'm not caught up in all the weeds.

"I've still got to keep us moving forward, but we've got it all planned."

Mitchell had concerns that Hunter was getting "a bit too close" in contact in sessions and made provision for her to direct coaching from a safe distance.

England captain Marlie Packer said that little has changed for the players.

"She's got this growing bump and it really is growing," Packer told BBC Sport.

"She's the same as when she was as a player. She's very diligent in what she's doing. That's the Sarah Hunter way and you wouldn't expect anything else."

Hunter is continuing in her face-to-face role with the Red Roses for warm-up Tests with France and New Zealand in September before WXV1, which runs from 29 September to 13 October in Canada.