Middleton focuses on defence
Such is the strength in depth of the England Women’s squad that captain Sarah Hunter will start on the bench against Wales at the Cardiff Arms Park tomorrow and they can call up one 2014 World Cup winner, Rachael Burford, to replace another, the injured Emily Scarratt.
Burford, who was not in the match-day 23 for England’s two opening fixtures, will combine with Zoe Harrison in a new-look centre pairing as Scarratt continues to recover from a toe injury.
After beating France 41-26, thanks to a commanding first-half performance where they scored four unanswered tries, the Red Roses are now favourites to lift the Women’s Six Nations due to the disparity of resources – the French being the closest rivals.
Simon Middleton, the England head coach, however, was unhappy with his side’s defensive performance in the second half and wants an improvement against the Welsh. “Defence has been a huge focus for us this week. We were really disappointed with our second-half performance defensively against France. To concede 26 points in one half is not acceptable,” he said.
“At the end of the game, the mood was quite subdued because of how we finished the game.”
Wales, who finished bottom of the Six Nations table last year, were beaten 52-3 by Les Bleues in the opening around before securing a 3-3 draw in Italy.