England unchanged for Women's World Cup final

Ellie Kildunne scored twice in a standout semi-final performance against France

England have named an unchanged team for the Women's Rugby World Cup final against Canada on Saturday at Twickenham.

John Mitchell has opted to stick with the same starting XV and replacements who overcame a slow start to defeat France 35-17 in the last four.

Zoe Aldcroft captains the Red Roses in their seventh straight World Cup final.

England have not won the tournament since 2014, losing the past two finals to New Zealand.

Star full-back Ellie Kildunne, Abby Dow, Zoe Harrison, Amy Cokayne, Aldcroft, Abbie Ward and Alex Matthews all retain their spots from the starting XV defeated by the Black Ferns three years ago.

Scrum-half Natasha Hunt and Matthews also played in the 2014 final.

Wing Jess Breach, who has scored six tries in the World Cup, and centre Meg Jones will be the only England players to have started all six games in the tournament.

The Red Roses, who are on a record 32-Test winning run, have not lost since that defeat at Eden Park in 2022.

They went into that match having won their previous 30 games, and are up against an in-form Canada side on Saturday.

Kevin Rouet's side, ranked number two in the world, have looked a class above all their opponents this tournament and delivered a remarkable semi-final performance to comfortably defeat New Zealand and reach their first World Cup final since they lost to England in 2014.

Canada are semi-professional, and have had to crowdfund nearly a third of the budget for their World Cup campaign - they are currently at 95% of their million-dollar fundraising goal entitled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup.

England have been professional since 2019 and are favourites to win a home World Cup in front of an 82-000 capacity, sold-out Twickenham.

Saturday's crowd will surpass the 58,498 who watched England beat France at the same stadium in the 2023 Six Nations - the previous record for a XV-a-side match - and the 66,000 who watched the women's rugby sevens at Stade de France during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

"Our staff and players have worked hard to reach this stage of the tournament," Mitchell said.

"Playing a World Cup final at Allianz Stadium [Twickenham] in front of a record 82,000 is a significant milestone for the sport.

"We are well prepared for the challenge against Canada. It is number one versus number two in the world, and we know the contest will demand a full 80 minutes. Our focus remains on staying in our process and executing effectively."

His side defeated Canada by nine points when they met in the WXV1 last year in Vancouver.

Line-up

England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), Kabeya, Matthews.

Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Clifford, Bern, Galligan, Feaunati, L Packer, Aitchison, Rowland.

Why has Mitchell stuck with the same team?

Holly Aitchison impressed off the bench at inside centre in the semi-final win, while former England World Cup-winner Kat Merchant had called for Lucy Packer to start at scrum-half over Hunt.

Packer is quick to get the ball moving away from the breakdown, which could help get England's backline firing better and mean they do not have to rely on individual moments of brilliance from Kildunne.

But Mitchell, as expected, has gone for consistency in selection instead of making a big call to unsettle his preferred matchday 23.

"It is about trusting what we have built already. Our players don't always need to be perfect. We have been effective and that is all that matters," Mitchell said.

"Canada have been outstanding and have played some really great rugby. We believe it is going to take an 80-minute performance.

"They have grown as well and are fitter. They deserve to be in the final."

One selection which illustrates Mitchell's point about selection being based on the trust they have built over the past two years - rather than being based on the semi-final - is the retention of Tatyana Heard.

The inside centre struggled against France but over time has formed a formidable partnership with Jones, who has been a standout performer and works best alongside her midfield partner.

Heard runs hard and straight, helping create space for Jones to use her lethal footwork, while replacement Aitchison is a different style of inside centre as a second playmaker.

Mitchell also values his bench combinations and the impact they can bring.

Both Aitchison and Packer performed well last Saturday and because of that will be expected to make an impact in the second half of the final.

England usually finish games strongly, with their bench adding impetus, and in a World Cup final that is likely to be vital.

It is a record-setting side that Mitchell trusts and when on form can be clinical in attack and resilient in defence.

"We are never going to be perfect but to win this tournament you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be [aiming to be so]," he added.