Ellie Kildunne in positional switch as England rotate fullback options ahead of Italy Six Nations clash
Ellie Kildunne positional shift as Emma Sing returns to fullback
England head coach John Mitchell has named his 23 to take on Italy at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Round 4 of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
It will be a big day for Helena Rowland, who is set to earn her 50th Test cap after initially debuting for England at the same stadium in Parma back in November 2020 and has since accumulated 186 points for her country.
England’s reset
There are returns to the side for the Gloucester-Hartpury duo Emma Sing and Mia Venner, who come into the back three at fullback and wing, respectively, while superstar Ellie Kildunne is named on the wing. On the bench, Ealing Trailfinders forward Haidee Head will wait patiently to earn her debut.
England currently sit top of the Six Nations championship, and are on a collision course for a final round clash against France, who have matched them all the way so far.
Mitchell is keen to sharpen their focus this week as they look to get through one final hurdle before their showpiece finish.
“This week is about re-establishing our processes and sharpening our focus now that we have new purpose,” the England boss said.
“We’ve had a deliberate reset around learning where we will need to improve, we trust the way we play, and now it’s time to get back to it.
“We’ve built momentum throughout this tournament by stacking strong moments together, and that will be crucial again this week. Italy will be full of confidence after their result against Scotland, and they’ll challenge us in different ways.
“For us, it’s about staying locked in on our key actions: applying pressure and intentionally attacking the space with speed. Ultimately, it always comes down to showing courage in the moments that matter.”
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England XV to face Italy
Starting XV: Emma Sing, Mia Venner, Megan Jones (c), Helena Rowland, Ellie Kildunne, Zoe Harrison, Lucy Packer, Kelsey Clifford, Amy Cokayne, Maud Muir, Abi Burton, Delaney Burns, Demelza Short, Marlie Packer (vc), Maddie Feaunati.
Replacements: Connie Powell, Mackenzie Carson, Sarah Bern, Haineala Lutui, Haidee Head, Flo Robinson, Holly Aitchison, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald.
Lilli Ives Campion and Sadia Kabeya continue their rehabilitation in camp, but Alex Matthews has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. The Gloucester-Hartpury back row will have surgery on her shoulder this week.