Louis Deacon: Red Roses prepared for WXV tournament after ‘devastating’ World Cup defeat

Marlie Packer will captain the Red Roses, while Zoe Aldcroft and Helena Rowland have been appointed as vice-captains; Concerns remain over Lucy Packer’s fitness after she suffered an ankle injury last week

The Red Roses are looking forward to the first WXV tournament in New Zealand after losing a ‘devastating’ World Cup final last year.

England have named their 30-player squad but questions remain over Lucy Packer’s fitness after the scrum-half left the field with an injury to her left ankle following the Red Roses’ back-to-back win against Canada last week.

Flankers Sadia Kabeya and Alex Matthews have both returned to training after nursing injuries, while Amy Cokayne is still dealing with the calf injury she suffered last Thursday.

Interim head coach Louis Deacon confirmed they are awaiting Lucy Packer’s scan results but she has been included in the Red Roses squad.

Deacon confirmed that when incoming head coach John Mitchell joins England in New Zealand, he will do so in his new role but will take on an “observation role” during WXV.

“I’m very excited, it’s an opportunity for us to pit ourselves against the best teams in the world,” said Deacon.

“Australia, Canada and New Zealand are going to give us great tests and we are traveling too. It will give us a lot of things to work on, we are really looking forward to it.”

England’s Amber Reed celebrates with Hannah Botterman at the end of the second test

Marlie Packer will captain the Red Roses as she moves towards 100 caps for her country, with Zoe Aldcroft and Helena Rowland as vice-captains.

“Helena is a great player and with the loss of Emily Scarratt we have identified that we need some leadership at the back. She has a positive influence on the way we play and is very respected and that is the most important thing. It was an easy game .” choice,” Deacon confirmed.

“Maisy Allen and Sophie Bridger have been great in pre-season. They were very positive editions for the group and have enormous potential.

“Maisy is such a young player but already has great leadership qualities. They both had positive games this weekend and they fully deserved the inclusion.”

England players celebrate after the final whistle of the second Test match

England are currently in a three-day camp before heading home to spend time with their families, then flying to New Zealand on Sunday, October 8.

Twenty-one of the players named in the squad were involved in the 2021 Rugby World Cup, which was postponed a year due to the pandemic and saw England defeated 34-31 by the hosts in the final in Auckland.

Deacon confirmed he was looking for versatility when choosing the 30-player squad, which is missing full-back Emma Sing.

“If you can only select 30 players and travel so far away, it’s very difficult. What we’ve gone for is a lot of versatility with players who can play in more than two positions, which will be invaluable. Unfortunately for Emma Sing she misses that,” Deacon said.

“She is a specialist full-back and has played a bit in the centre, but not enough, so ultimately that’s why we made the decision.

“Losing the final was devastating, but many of us have great memories of New Zealand. We had nine long weeks together and made great memories in a great country,” Deacon said.

“The most important thing is that they want to improve and test ourselves.”

The Red Roses kick off their campaign against Australia on Friday, October 20 (7am BST) at Sky Stadium in Wellington, before taking on Canada at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Friday, October 27 (7am BST).

England will then take on hosts New Zealand at the Go Media Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, on Saturday, November 4 (6am GMT).