England vs Canada: Changes made to women’s rugby will ‘help the game grow’ says Louis Deacon

England got their WXV campaign off to a winning start by beating Australia 42-7 last Friday; They will face Canada on Friday in the second of their three games in New Zealand

England Women’s interim head coach Louis Deacon has praised the World Rugby Council’s changes, saying they will help the women’s game grow.

The transformative reforms for women’s football mean that from 2026 there will be no overlap between international and club matches for the first time.

It will enable clearly defined global and regional release windows for players in women’s football, driving opportunity and growth ahead of an expanded 16-team Rugby World Cup in 2025.

“This is hugely exciting for women’s football that these things have been introduced, very positive. It shows that it continues to grow and it means the players can focus solely on international periods or domestic periods,” Deacon said.

Red Roses captain Marlie Packer echoed this sentiment, saying this will allow players to benefit from a schedule that should see less fixture congestion.

“The players will get a decent amount of rest so we can be ready for the season,” Packer said.

“Calendars will not overlap, meaning seasons can be extended or extended or we will have a quick turnaround of tournaments.

“It’s about the welfare of the players and I think it’s a very good thing that will happen to the game.”

The Red Roses will continue their inaugural WXV campaign next Friday when they take on Canada, after starting the tournament with an emphatic 42-7 win over Australia last Friday.

England made nine changes to the starting line-up for their second match of the WXV 1 tournament against Canada on Friday.

Canada also started its WXV campaign with an impressive 42–22 victory over Wales, but lost to England in the two pre-season matches, although the scoreline tightened each time.

“Canada have a very athletic team and their set-piece is very good. For me, Sophie de Goede is the standout player, she can make anything happen. The way she plays the game and sees the game is exceptional,” said Packer.

Canadian captain De Goede scored the opening try inside four minutes and added six conversions in her side’s opening match against Wales.

England got their WXV tournament campaign off to a winning start with a 42-7 victory over Australia

During England’s match against Australia, Packer scored two tries and retains her place in the side, while fullback Ellie Kilnauw – who has scored three tries in her last two appearances against the Canadians – and winger Claudia MacDonald return to the back three, alongside Abby Dow. .

Helena Rowland switches to outside centre, where she will join Amber Reed in midfield, with scrum-half Natasha Hunt joining Holly Aitchison as halfback partner.

“If you have a squad of thirty players, you need players who can adapt. In our first game it was about giving people opportunities and that was one of the combinations we looked at,” Deacon said.

“Players have to be versatile when you have 30 available, that’s why we moved Helena.”

A new front row starts with Mackenzie Carson, Lark Atkin-Davies and Sarah Bern, while Cath O’Donnell is back in the second row alongside Zoe Aldcroft.

Morwenna Talling is selected as blindside flanker, while captain Marlie Packer and Alex Matthews continue as openside flanker and number 8 respectively.

“Every player will be ready for the game. The fact that we have played Canada twice will not make us any less aware of what we are getting into and we need to put in a good performance,” said Packer.

“We have trained together and there has been a lot of time to discuss things, but whichever 15 players are going to play, I know they will do the job.

“We strive to be the best version of ourselves and it doesn’t matter who started and who didn’t.”

Red Roses line-up: 15. Ellie Kilnauw (Harlequins), 14. Abby Dow (Trailfinders Women), 13. Helena Rowland – vice-captain (Loughborough Lightning), 12. Amber Reed (Bristol Bears), 11. Claudia MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs), 10. Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears), 9. Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury)

1. Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury), 2. Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears), 3. Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears), 4. Zoe Aldcroft – vice-captain (Gloucester-Hartpury), 5. Cath O’Donnell (Loughborough Lightning), 6. Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks), 7. Marlie Packer – captain (Saracens), 8. Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury)

Replacements: 16. Connie Powell (Harlequins), 17. Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears), 18. Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury), 19. Rosie Galligan (Saracens), 20. Maisy Allen (Exeter Chiefs), 21. Ella Wyrwas (Saracens) ) ), 22. Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury), 23. Jess Breach (Saracens)