Packer should start for England in final - Merchant

Lucy Packer was part of Harlequins' 2020-21 title winning squad

Lucy Packer can be "the difference" for England if she is picked to start against Canada in the Women's Rugby World Cup final, says 2014 winner Kat Merchant.

The 25-year-old Harlequins scrum-half has featured in all five games at this year's World Cup, but started in just one - the record-breaking victory against Samoa.

Packer was also brought on as a second-half replacement in Saturday's semi-final victory against France.

Despite her lack of minutes, Merchant said Packer has done enough to show she should be in the starting 15 against Canada on Saturday.

"It is probably not going to be a popular opinion but I think Lucy Packer, for me, is the difference," she told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"She brings an incredible speed of ball and if [John] Mitchell is being really brave, I think she starts next week."

Packer's inclusion would likely be at the expense of the more experienced Natasha Hunt, who was also part of that 2014 World Cup squad that tasted success over Canada in the showpiece.

Merchant, however, added Hunt could make a much stronger impact from the bench.

"Natasha Hunt coming off the bench, she carves up when she comes off the bench," she said.

"She brings an energy, she quick-taps, she does everything you need to in the dying seconds of the game.

"Having Lucy Packer steering the ship from the start, that calm but also quick speed of ball could be the shift we need. But, I think it needed to be this game and I would have started her for this game, but I don't think he (Mitchell) will do it."

Commentator Claire Thomas agreed with that viewpoint, but later added that she would still start with Hunt due to her big-game experience.

"I thought she looked fantastic when she came on," said Thomas of Packer.

"It's not like she's the Lucy Packer of three years ago where she was thrown with hardly any rugby under her belt into a World Cup final - and on torn angle ligaments by the way.

"If they put her in the mix next week to start at number nine - she is someone that has captained her club, someone that has played in PWR semi-finals.

"She has got a lot of experience now and I think she has a very similar toolkit to Mo Hunt so they can do a very similar job."

'The attack looks better with Aitchison'

Alongside doubling down on playing Packer at number nine, Merchant believed both Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and Holly Aitchison should come into the 15 for the Red Roses in place of Jess Breach and Tatyana Heard, respectively.

Breach is England's leading try-scorer in the tournament with six tries but struggled in the last-four victory over France.

"I don't think Jess Breach has played herself out of [the number 14] but I just think Claudia is such an out-and-out finisher," added Merchant.

"And defensively, this is where I'm thinking, because England had problems out wide [against France] and if you are going defensive, Claudia and [Abby] Dow are your better defensive wingers."

Breach and vice-captain Meg Jones are the only two players to have started all five of England's World Cup games. While Thomas didn't agree with the decision to drop Breach for the final, she too expressed worries around starting the 27-year-old.

"I am concerned about the fact that Alysha Corrigan knows Jess inside and out from their time together at Saracens and she will absolutely back herself in a one-on-one against her," said Thomas.

"Asia Hogan-Rochester has Jess Breach for pace and I do not say that lightly and she is so full of confidence right now."

While the two disagreed on who to start at 14, both Merchant and Thomas concurred with a switch at 12, opting for Aitchison over Heard.

Sale Sharks' Aitchison started at 12 in the 2022 World Cup final defeat and was brought on for Heard against France.

"I'm putting Holly in at 12 because I think they need something different and Meg Jones stays at 13," added Merchant.

"I think Heard has had a good tournament and she is solid but I just think, if England play as they have done so far, Canada beat them, therefore they need to do something different."

Thomas admitted: "I'm a little worried about what is going to be coming up Holly's channel because Canada like to come through the middle but I agree with Kat, I don't think the attack is clicking yet and the attack looks better when Holly is on the field.

"I'm willing to take the slight drop off in defensive stability in the midfield for what Holly might do to England's points tally."

England v Canada - pick of the stats

• England have beaten Canada 33 times out of 37 meetings (one draw)

• England have won the last 13 meetings between the two sides, and haven't lost to Canada since a 2016 defeat in Salt Lake City

• England beat Canada 21-12 in their last encounter in Vancouver in WXV1 in October 2024

• Canada lost to the Red Roses 26-19 in the 2021 World Cup semi-finals in New Zealand, and 21-9 in the 2014 World Cup final in France