England maintains its lineup for the debut match of the Women's Rugby World Cup against the United States
England and United States Set to Clash in Record-Breaking Women's Rugby World Cup Opener
The stage is set for an exciting opening match of the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, as England and the United States prepare to face off in Sunderland. This city, more renowned for football than rugby, will host a record crowd of 40,000 spectators, surpassing previous opening game records.
England, the host nation, has been in impressive form leading up to the tournament. They recently defeated France 40-6 in a warm-up fixture earlier this month. The team, captained by Zoe Aldcroft from blindside flanker, includes some familiar faces such as Ellie Kildunne (full-back), Jess Breach and Abby Dow (wings), Megan Jones and Tatyana Heard (centers), and Alex Matthews and Sadia Kabeya (No 8 and openside, respectively). The front row consists of Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne, and Maud Muir.
On the other side, the United States, coached by Sione Fukofuka, has named their team for the match, with four World Cup debutants in the starting side. Keia Mae Sagapolu, Tahlia Brody, Emily Heinrich, and Ilona Maher are among the starters, with Alivia Leatherman, Paige Stathopolous, Rachel Ehrecke, Freda Tafuna, Cass Bargell, Kristin Bitter, and Sariah Ibarra on the bench. Back-row forward Kate Zachary, who plays for London club Ealing, captains the United States at her third World Cup.
Sione Fukofuka stated that their focus for the first match is on executing their game plan to put pressure on England. The team wants to embrace the occasion while understanding the need to earn the right to progress through the pool stage.
Pool A also features Australia and Samoa, who will meet on Saturday. The top two in each of the four groups will go through to the quarter-finals. England, who have lost only once in their past 58 matches, will be aiming to break their five-match losing streak in World Cup finals against New Zealand.
Natasha Hunt is making her first World Cup appearance since 2017, while Emily Scarratt is poised to win her 119th cap off the bench. Marlie Packer is not included in the matchday 23.
The United States has Abbie Ward and Morwenna Talling as the starting locks, with Lotte Sharp, Georgie Perris-Redding, and Kate Zachary (captain) in the back row. Lark Atkin-Davies, Kelsey Clifford, Sarah Bern, Rosie Galligan, Maddie Feaunati, Lucy Packer, and Emma Sing are named as England's replacements.
This promises to be an exciting match, with both teams eager to start their campaign on a high note. Let the games begin!
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