Middleton ‘testing England’s depth’ for World Cup tilt
Simon Middleton is determined to view the recent upheaval among England’s injury-hit forward pack as a “bonus” which will hold his side in good stead ahead of the 2021 World Cup.
A last-minute Lydia Thompson try on Saturday helped the Red Roses clinch a 17-15 win over France, who repeatedly targeted England’s scrum, an area where Middleton’s options have been limited of late.
Heather Kerr was a late change at hooker for the encounter at Sandy Park after Lark Davies picked up an injury, while Rownita Marston was given her bow in an England shirt as the head coach made several forward changes. This included Saracens’ Vicky Fleetwood who, despite typically playing flanker for club and country, slotted in at hooker.
“We’ve come under pressure front-row wise in terms of injury,” Middleton said, after England stretched their winning streak over France to four games in all competitions. “We’re testing the depth significantly. That’s a good thing, two years out from a World Cup. You can’t buy the experience that some of the girls have had today, although it was quite chastening at times, certainly in terms of the scrum.”
France looked set to secure their first win over England in 2019 when Caroline Boujard raced over in the 65th minute after a well-executed penalty scrum, where the hosts’ lack of cohesiveness somewhat showed.
Prop Vickii Cornborough, lock Cath O’donnell and versatile forward Bryony Cleall are all out with long-term injuries, while hooker Amy Cokayne – who was included in the latest round of contracted
XVS players in September after completing her RAF training – also remains sidelined.
“It’s not an excuse, but we’ve got a lot of injuries at the moment,” continued Middleton. “We’ve got a lot of moving parts within the side. When you’ve got to bring Rownita Marston on for her debut with five minutes to go, behind against France in front of 10,000 fans, it’s not the ideal scenario. Fair play, like the rest of the girls, she held her nerve.
“We’re missing some key components without a shadow of a doubt. But that’s a bonus, knowing you’ve got some players coming back into the fold and the experience that some of the players have now had.”
England’s forward woes took another blow when Poppy Cleall did not return to the field after failing a head injury assessment. Winger Abby Dow is also being assessed after taking a knock to the head, but Davies is expected to be passed fit for the Red Roses’ final autumn international this Saturday against Italy in Bedford.
“Italy are probably the upcoming European nation at the moment,” said Middleton. “They had a great Six Nations earlier this year and were outstanding against France. They’ll bring a variety to that end. They’ve added a bit of structure to the unstructured nature of their game. We’ll have to be at our best, but we’ll be giving opportunities to other players who’ve been on the bench for a couple of weeks because they’ll need a run-out.”