A 17-12 victory over Spain in the play-offs saw a young England Women’s side finish fifth in the Amsterdam Sevens on Sunday.

With only six players in the squad who lifted the IRB Challenge Cup crown in London last weekend, England struggled in the second day of sevens action leaving them to play off against Spain for fifth place.

England, however, showed great determination to secure the fifth place finish against a full strength Spanish side with a try in extra time from Sevens newcomer Kate Hancock. Fellow Sevens debutant Natasha Brennan also touched down twice, with Natasha Hunt kicking one conversion.

England were left battling for fifth place after losing 7-12 to the USA in the final pool game on Saturday. England had started the day well with a 24-0 victory over Wales. Lichfield’s Hunt ran in a hat-trick of tries and Jennifer Brightmore also touched down. Sarah McKenna added four points from the boot.

In England’s second match they were as dominant, inflicting a 26-0 victory over South Africa. This time Brennan, Rachael Burford, captain Sonia Green and Abigail Chamberlain touched down. Alice Richardson and Hunt added three conversions.

But in their final encounter on Saturday the young England side struggled against the on-form Eagles. Brennan touched down for her second try of the tournament and Richardson converted but two tries from the USA and a conversion was too much for England to overcome.

The first day’s results meant England faced a tough second pool round on Sunday pitting them against hosts Netherlands, London finalists last weekend, and then IRB Challenge Cup winner in Dubai Canada.

England couldn’t break the Netherlands this time around and instead the hosts ran in three tries and England had no reply.

Next up was Canada, and England picked up the pace to hold the full strength Canadian side to a 12-12 draw, with Burford and McKenna scoring. McKenna also added one conversion, but the draw was not enough to keep England in contention and they had to settle for the fifth/sixth play-off final.

England Women’s Sevens Head Coach Barry Maddocks (pictured) said: “We are obviously disappointed to finish fifth but at the same time this has been a tremendous learning experience for our young squad.

“The likes of Natasha Brennan, Kate Hancock, Emily Scott, Leanne Riley and Katie Mason have been exposed to top level international sevens rugby over the last two days, playing against some of the world’s best players in Canada and the USA, and that is only going to benefit their game in the long run.

“It was disappointing that we suffered such a heavy defeat this morning against the Netherlands. It was a game we struggled to get up for, but we bounced back against Canada and held them to a draw. We can also take a lot of positives from our final game against Spain.”

Amsterdam Sevens Day 1 Results

England  24 Wales 0

Tries: Hunt (3), Brightmore

Conversions: McKenna (2)

England 26 South Africa 0

Tries: Brennan, Burford, Green, Chamberlain

Conversions: Richardson (2), Hunt

England  7 USA 12

Tries: Brennan

Conversions: Richardson

Amsterdam Sevens Day 2 Results

England 0 Netherlands 17

England 12 Canada 12

Tries: Burford, McKenna

Conversions: McKenna

England 17 Spain 12

Tries: Brennan (2), Hancock

Conversions: Hunt

England Sevens Squad  

Abigail            Chamberlain(Richmond)

Natasha         Brennan        (Wasps)

Jennifer         Brightmore    (Worcester)

Rachael         Burford           (Richmond)

Sonia             Green (C)      (Saracens)

Kate    Hancock        (Plymouth Albion (on loan to Worcester))

Natasha         Hunt   (Lichfield)

Katie   Mason            (Bristol)

SarahMcKenna       (Wasps)

Alice   Richardson   (Richmond)

Leanne          Riley   (Saracens)

Emily  Scott   (Thurrock)

An injury time try for Worcester wing Lydia Thompson, who made her England debut just seven days ago in the tournament opener, secured the victory in the dying minutes of the game.

The match, which was billed as the winner takes all clash, was a typical England versus France encounter with both sides fired up and giving everything they had to secure the win and the crown.

But in the end it was England’s tenacity that paid off as they came from a 22-25 deficit to take the title away from France in style.

England Head Coach for this tour Graham Smith, who blooded seven new caps over seven days, said: “This has been a tour of opportunity for all the players involved and I can safely say every single player involved has taken this opportunity with both hands.

“This was a scintillating game, but as a coach a hard game to watch. We certainly controlled the first half but after the restart it was a different matter and France took control when we couldn’t get our consistency going and we did not defend as well. We also gave away too many penalties and France were able to take those points and that put us in a precarious position.

“However, we never gave up and after making some changes from the bench we took our opportunities, with Sally Tuson scoring a late try and then Lydia Thompson touching down for the crucial score in extra time.

“We are obviously delighted to have won the European Cup and defended our title but I am more delighted about the fact that we have underlined what talent we have coming through our system. It has also been great to have Simon Middleton on board as Assistant Coach for this championship. He has made a real impression and we are fortunate to have a coach of his calibre involved in the England set-up.”

England took the European Cup crown the hard way going 3-0 behind in the early stages after French full-back Jessy Tremouliere converted a penalty when England were penalised for holding on.

France and England then battled it out in a typical clash between these two sides, which saw them neck and neck for the next forty minutes. England had their chances, with both Katherine Merchant and Thompson going close but France defended staunchly and kept their fierce rivals out.

In the end France’s line did break when Bristol flanker Marlie Packer made some space before offloading to Thompson, who had both the power and the pace to dive over the try-line. Emily Scarratt (PICTURED) added the conversion to hand England a 7-3 lead at the break.

After the restart though, France turned the tables and a 42nd minute try for substitute Elordie Portaries, after a good line-out, catch and drive, saw them take a 7-10 lead.

England try machine Merchant then put England back in control with a 49th minute touchdown, converted by Scarratt, but the lead did not last long as French fly-half Aurelie Bailon kept the scoreboard ticking over with two penalties and two drop goals.

Scarratt clawed a penalty back for England but at 25-17 down, and only five minutes left of full time, France looked like they had done enough to take the title.

However, Bristol centre and substitute Tuson, who had been on the field for just seven minutes, ignited a spark for England which France couldn’t put out however hard they tried. A good drive from a line-out saw the ball recycled out to Merchant and then a waiting Tuson, who on just her third cap, powered over the try-line to score.

Scarratt, however, couldn’t make the conversion leaving England 22-25 adrift but as the clocked counted down in injury time some superb footwork and evasive running saw winger Thompson surge her way 60 metres up-field to score. France did everything they could to tackle Thompson to the ground but with no success and in the end it cost them the victory. With Scarratt this time making the conversion England took a very memorable 29-25 victory.

England

15 Danielle Waterman (Worcester), 14 Lydia Thompson (Worcester), 13 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield), 12 Kimberley Oliver (Bristol), 11 Katherine Merchant (Worcester), 10 CeriLarge (Worcester), 9 Georgina Rozario (Lichfield), 1 Rochelle Clark (Worcester), 2 Victoria Fleetwood (Lichfield), 3 Laura Keates (Worcester), 4 Rowena Burnfield (Richmond), 5 Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 6 Sarah Hunter (C) (Lichfield), 7 Marlie Packer (Bristol), 8 Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield). Replacements: 16 Emma Croker (Richmond), 17 Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield), 18 Emil Braund (Lichfield), 19 Gemma Sharples (Worcester), 20 Fiona Davidson (Richmond), 21 Lauren Cattell (Chesham), 22 Sally Tuscon (Bristol), 23 Kate Newton (Bristol), 24 Fiona Fletcher (Lichfield), 25 Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)

Tries: Thompson (2), Merchant, Tuson

Conversions: Scarratt (3)

Penalties: Scarratt

Substitutions: Crowley for Clark, Sharples for Packer, Croker for Fleetwood, Tuson for Large (all 70), Braund for Burnfield (81), Davidson for Rozario (86)

England Women’s European Cup Schedule

Spain v England, May 12, WON 61-0.

Italy v England, May 15,WON 32-8

France v England, May 19, WO 29-5

A 7-12 defeat to the USA in the final pool game of the day saw England finish fourth in the standings on day one, pitting them against IRB Challenge Cup Sevens London finalists the Netherlands and Dubai winners Canada on Sunday in the final pool stages.

England, fielding only six players who lifted the IRB Challenge Cup London title last weekend, started the day well with a 24-0 victory over Wales. Lichfield’s Natasha Hunt ran in a hat-trick of tries and Jennifer Brightmore also touched down. Sarah McKenna added four points from the boot.

In England’s second match they were as dominant, inflicting a 26-0 victory over South Africa. This time Natasha Brennan, Rachael Burford, captain Sonia Green and Abigail Chamberlain touched down. Alice Richardson and Hunt added three conversions.

But in their final encounter the young England side struggled against the on-form Eagles. Brennan touched down for her second try of the tournament and Richardson converted but two tries from the USA and a conversion was too much for England to overcome.

England Women Sevens Head Coach Barry Maddocks said: “Obviously we are disappointed to drop a game and we now have a tough morning ahead of us with games against the Netherlands and Canada who we know are very good sides.

“Basic errors let us down, at times we just didn’t perform and against the USA we were turned over more than we should have been. To be fair to the USA they deserved to win on the day.

“For us we have got a lot of hard work to do if we are to qualify for the final, but days like this are an important learning experience especially for a young squad like this. However, we will be very much up for this tomorrow. The players will definitely be giving it everything they have.”

Amsterdam Sevens Day 1 Results

England  24 Wales 0

Tries: Hunt (3), Brightmore

Conversions: McKenna (2)

England 26 South Africa 0

Tries: Brennan, Burford, Green, Chamberlain

Conversions: Richardson (2), Hunt

England  7 USA 12

Tries: Brennan

Conversions: Richardson

England Sevens Squad  

Abigail            Chamberlain(Richmond)

Natasha         Brennan        (Wasps)

Jennifer         Brightmore    (Worcester)

Rachael         Burford           (Richmond)

Sonia             Green (C)      (Saracens)

Kate    Hancock        (Plymouth Albion (on loan to Worcester))

Natasha         Hunt   (Lichfield)

Katie   Mason            (Bristol)

SarahMcKenna       (Wasps)

Alice   Richardson   (Richmond)

Leanne          Riley   (Saracens)

Emily  Scott   (Thurrock)

England Sevens have increased the number of full-time players and the off-field resources available to Head Coach Ben Ryan next season.

The full-time player roster increases from 12 to 16 with new contracts awarded to backs Dan Bibby (UWIC), James Lightfoot-Brown (Exeter Chiefs), Tom Mitchell (Oxford University) (pictured), Marcus Watson (Saracens), Jeff Williams (RC Chateaurenard), and forwards Mike Ellery (Moseley) and Jack Preece (Birmingham Solihull).

Assistant coach Russell Earnshaw now has a full-time post after previously combining his role with that of Director of Rugby at Birmingham Solihull.

Some of the newcomers will appear in European competitions this summer ahead of a busy 2012-13 season which will see the HSBC Sevens World Series followed by the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow next June.

Mitchell, 22, Bibby, 21, Watson, 20, and centre Williams, 23,  all made their England Sevens debuts this season. Mitchell appeared in six tournaments, Watson in five, Bibby in two and Williams in one, scoring a debut try against Australia at last weekend’s Marriott London Sevens.

Lightfoot-Brown, 19 in June, is a former England Under 18 scrum half who joins after spells in the Exeter and London Irish academy ranks. Ellery, 22, is an athletic back row forward in outstanding form in the Championship this season while openside breakdown specialist Preece, 22, captained Bees in National One this season.

Departing are former captain Greg Barden, who has retired, hooker Simon Hunt and wing Nick Royle.

England can also add further players to the squad either on ‘core’ contracts shared with professional clubs or those in higher education like former England Under 20 internationals Sam Edgerley and Mark Odejobi.

Isoa Damudamu is unlikely feature in 2012-13, though. The soldier dislocated his left knee and damaged ligaments playing for the Army against the Navy last month and rehabilitation following surgery is expected to take at least a year.

England finished third in this season’s HSBC Sevens World Series behind New Zealand and Fiji with Mat Turner and Dan Norton first and second in the leading try-scorer table with 38 and 37 respectively.

“Being able to keep the bulk of this season’s squad together and add new faces is good news for us in terms of maintaining momentum, increasing competition and driving up standards,” said Ryan.

“We believe we can maximise their potential and turn them into world class sevens players. Some of the new full-time players have already gained experience in the HSBC Sevens World Series; others will make their debuts in Europe this summer and they’re all part of the next chapter for England Sevens.”

England Sevens contracted players: Dan Bibby, John Brake, Chris Brightwell, Chris Cracknell, Mike Ellery, Christian Lewis-Pratt, James Lightfoot-Brown, Tom Mitchell, Dan Norton, Tom Powell, Jack Preece, James Rodwell, Mathew Turner, Rob Vickerman, Marcus Watson, Jeff Williams.

We also hear from a stellar cast including Jonny Wilkinson, Iain Balshaw and Lawrence Dallaglio as well as England youngster Jonathan Joseph.

England forwards coach Rowntree has first-hand experience in South Africa as forwards coach with the British & Irish Lions in 2009 and insists any side that wants to win there has to earn the right to play at the breakdown.

He also analyses the prospects for newcomers like Tom Youngs, Graham Kitchener and Joe Launchbury who are all part of Stuart Lancaster’s 42-strong touring squad.

Centre Joseph, coached by new England man Mike Catt at London Irish, tells us he’s ready to stake his claim on tour and in the Killick Cup game against the Barbarians on May 27 at Twickenham Stadium.

World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon) and Iain Balshaw (Biarritz) talk about being on opposite sides on Friday night at the Stoop in the final of the Amlin Challenge Cup.

The Dallaglio-Flintoff Cycle Slam is due to finish on Friday after an epic 2,872km trek from Greece to London raising money for Cancer Research UK and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Dallaglio reports on his progress and weighs up the prospects for Leinster and Ulster at Twickenham Stadium in this weekend’s Heineken Cup final.

Head Coach Graham Smith has made five changes, and one positional, to the team that defeated Italy 32-8 on Tuesday. Lichfield’s Sarah Hunter will once again captain the side which welcomes back Emily Scarratt (pictured) and Katherine Merchant to the starting line-up. Both Merchant and Scarratt were involved in England’s victory in the IRB Challenge Cup Sevens in London on Sunday.

Bristol’s Marlie Packer and Worcester’s Rochelle Clark return to bolster a strong England pack, while Ceri Large moves to fly-half and Kim Oliver is back in at centre.

Smith, whose side like France have defeated both Italy and Spain in this tournament, said: “The spirit in the camp is very good and we are confident that we have a strong enough team to defend our European Cup crown.

“This is a strong England pack, while our backs have also been performing. Georgina Rozario is playing some of her best rugby ever at scrum-half, and Ceri Large is developing into a good international fly-half. Kim Oliver has also been in top form this season, Emily, Kat and Danielle are world class players while Lydia really has the potential to be a world class wing.”

The final England versus France match is set to be a thriller with matches this season between the two sides evenly matched. France have beaten England twice this season, but England took the most recent victory in the RBS 6 Nations in March.

Smith added: “Our players like nothing better than playing France and they’ll be really up for it. We know we’ll have to be at the top of our game for this one, with France being a tough and physical side. Like us they have some new caps in their squad, but they also have the nucleus of their Six Nations side here. They have a good kicking game, can move the ball around well and have a big effective pack and we know they’ll be really up for this match.”

England

15 Danielle Waterman (Worcester)

14 Lydia Thompson (Worcester)

13 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield)

12 Kimberley Oliver (Bristol)

11 Katherine Merchant (Worcester)

10 Ceri Large (Worcester)

9 Georgina Rozario

1 Rochelle Clark (Worcester)

2 Victoria Fleetwood (Lichfield)

3 Laura Keates (Worcester)

4 Rowena Burnfield (Richmond)

5 Tamara Taylor(Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)

6 Sarah Hunter (C) (Lichfield)

7 Marlie Packer (Bristol)

8 Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield)

Replacements:

16 Emma Croker (Richmond)

17 Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield)

18 Emily Braund (Lichfield)

19 Gemma Sharples (Worcester)

20 Fiona Davidson (Richmond)

21 Lauren Cattell (Chesham)

22 Sally Tuson(Bristol)

23 Kate Newton (Bristol)

24 Fiona Fletcher (Lichfield)

25 Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)

England Women’s European Cup Schedule

Spain v England, May 12, WON 61-0.

Italy v England, May 15,WON 32-8

France v England, May 19, KO 630pm

In just five short years Mallinder has taken the Saints from the pain of relegation to being considered one of the top clubs in Aviva Premiership Rugby and in the Heineken Cup.

Indeed the club has not enjoyed such consistent levels of success – four trophies; five finals in five years, including the 2011 Heineken Cup final; and three successive Aviva Premiership Rugby semi-finals – since the 1950s and 60s.

Individuals have also flourished under the Yorkshireman’s guidance, with a modern-day record of eight players chosen in England’s 2012 Six Nations Elite Player Squad and no fewer than six England regulars having made their international debut since joining the club.

Mallinder has also rejuvenated the Saints Academy, appointing Dusty Hare to manage a production line which is now providing the first team squad with a steady stream of exciting young and talented players.

Already Aviva Premiership Rugby’s longest-serving current director of rugby, by the end of his new contract Mallinder will have been in charge of the team at Franklin’s Gardens for eight years, stability which chairman Leon Barwell says is vitally important for the continued growth and development of the club.

“Jim signing his new contract is terrific news for the club and underpins our aspirations for the future,” he said. “As we see so often in sports across the world having continuity of management is crucial in a club’s long-term success, and this is exactly what Jim brings to the Saints.

“You cannot overstate how important he has been to the rejuvenation of the team, which then has a massive part to play in everything else we do at the club. He is a first class coach, one of the best in England, and a terrific guy to have at the club.

“Like everyone at Franklin’s Gardens I am delighted that Jim has extended his commitment to the club until at least 2015, and I’m sure that Saints supporters everywhere are looking forward to the team continue to flourish under his leadership.”

Mallinder said that signing his contract extension had been a straightforward decision for him.

“I’m very happy at Northampton Saints,” he said. “We also have a talented group of coaches and support staff which is among the best in the league. We all want the club to improve year on year and are committed to working together to achieve that.

“We have come a long way in a short period of time, but I know that there is more to come in the future. We have won silverware and played in some massive occasions, and this is where I know we can compete year in, year out, and regularly bring major trophies to the club.

“The fact that my family is settled and happy in the area also played a major part in my decision to sign again. We all feel very at home in the Northampton area and feel a part of the community here.

“I’m proud to be director of rugby of the Saints, which has a great history and fantastic supporters, and I’m looking forward to bringing more success to the club in the future.”

England Women’s Sevens Head Coach Barry Maddocks has called up Sarah McKenna (pictured right) and Kate Hancock to the England squad to compete in the Amsterdam Sevens this weekend.

Wasps’ McKenna was part of the squad that lifted the IRB Challenge Cup Sevens at Twickenham Stadium last weekend, while Kate Hancock is a newcomer to the squad. Hancock has progressed through the RFUW Regional Programme and the RFUW Sevens Development Squad.

McKenna and Hancock replace Heather Fisher and Kay Wilson who both picked up injuries at the weekend.

Saracens’ Sonia Green will captain the side, taking over the captaincy armband from Wasps’ Michaela Staniford who is being rested for this tournament.

Also new to the England squad are Wasps’ Natasha Brennan and Bristol’s Katie Mason. The duo join a line-up mixed with experience and youth. The likes of Jenny Brightmore and Emily Scott will also be looking to build on their experiences with England in Dubai.

12 international teams will compete for the coveted Amsterdam Sevens crown and England will face the USA, South Africa and Wales in Pool A. Pool B pits Canada, Spain, France and newcomers Ireland against each other, with the final pool seeing the hosts take on Australia, Germany and Scotland.

Maddocks said: “It is obviously frustrating for both Heather and Kay that they have been ruled out through injury, but in Sarah and Kate we have two exciting young players. Sarah put in another good performance at Twickenham at the weekend while Kate has proved herself in the RFUW Sevens Development Squad and also impressed at the recent RFUW Open Sevens Trials. This is a very different looking squad to the team that won in London, but it is important that we use our wide pool of players and develop our squad as much as possible ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens next year.”

England Sevens Squad  

Abigail            Chamberlain(Richmond)

Natasha         Brennan        (Wasps)

Jennifer         Brightmore    (Worcester)

Rachael         Burford           (Richmond)

Sonia             Green (C)      (Saracens)

Kate    Hancock        (Plymouth Albion (on loan to Worcester))

Natasha         Hunt   (Lichfield)

Katie   Mason            (Bristol)

SarahMcKenna       (Wasps)

Alice   Richardson   (Richmond)

Leanne          Riley   (Saracens)

Emily  Scott   (Thurrock)

England Women are on course to defend their European Cup crown after a second successive victory, this time against Italy, which saw Graham Smith’s side run in six tries against a determined Italian outfit in Rovereto, Italy.

Bristol’s Sally Tuson, on just her second cap, ran in a brace of tries, while Harriet Millar-Mills (pictured), Lydia Thompson, another new cap, Danielle Waterman and Rowena Burnfield all crossed Italy’s line. England’s defence also stood up to a tough test with a feisty Italian side pushing England throughout the game.

Smith, who has taken on the Head Coach role for this tour, said: “It may be a cliché but I am extremely pleased and proud of this team. This tournament is proving that we have got some very good players coming through. We have got some really exciting players in Sally Tuson, Lauren Cattell and Lydia Thompson, while our more experienced players have been fantastic leading this young side both on and off the pitch.

“We played some quality rugby today, but at the same time we also need to be more consistent and work on our discipline as we gave away some penalties. Our defence, however, was awesome as Italy really could have scored more tries than they did and it is a testament to this side that we just kept knocking them back. ”

Italy punished England early on when England were penalised at the breakdown and fly-half Veronica Schiavon stroked over a penalty after just two minutes.

But the visitors were by no means put off their stride and a break by Richmond lock Burnfield saw the ball offloaded to Gemma Sharples and then out to the wing and into the clutches of centre Tuson who powered over the line. Chesham fly-half Lauren Cattell couldn’t make the conversion.

14 minutes in and England had established a 10-3 lead. A good England scrum, five metres out, saw the pack drive forward and Lichfield’s No. 8 Millar-Mills picked up to dive over the try-line.

England’s dominance continued with a try straight after the kick off when England secured the ball in their 22. The pack powered forward again, creating a solid platform for the backs which eventually saw vice-captain and fullback Danielle Waterman dive over under the posts.

England went down to 14 players when Millar-Mills was sin-binned, but Italy weren’t able to take advantage and England went into the break 15-3 up.

The restart saw Italy this time lose a player to the sin bin, scrum-half Sara Barattin, but unlike their opponents earlier England did capitalise. England dominated possession and eventually some good ball from a line-out saw the ball swung out to wing Thompson for her fourth try in two games.

Try number five for England came courtesy of the ever present Tuson, but Waterman played a big part as usual, and a great break by the fullback saw Georgina Rozario offload to Tuson, who evaded Italy’s defence to score. Cattell converted, before workhorse Burnfield wrapped up England’s tally with a 68th minute touchdown.

Italy, however, remained as dogged as ever and their hard work paid off when England lost a second player to the sin-bin – this time Sharples – and the home side battered England’s line and eventually broke through with wing Anna Barbanti taking the points.

England will now play France in the final game of the European Cup on Saturday, kick off 630pm BST.

England 

15. Danielle Waterman (VC) (Worcester), 14. Lydia Thompson (Worcester) 13. Sally Tuson (Bristol), 12. Ceri Large (Worcester) 11. Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 10. Lauren Cattell (Chesham), 9. George Rozario (Lichfield), 1. Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield), 2. Vicky Fleetwood (Lichfield), 3. Laura Keates (Worcester), 4. Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 5. Rowena Burnfield (Richmond), 6 Sarah Hunter (C), 7 Gemma Sharples (Worcester), 8 Harriet Millar Mills (Lichfield). Replacements: 16. Emma Croker (Richmond), 17.Rochelle Clark (Worcester), 18. Kate Newton (Bristol), 19.Emily Braund (Lichfield), 20 Fiona Fletcher, 21.Fiona Davidson (Richmond), 22 Kim Oliver (Bristol), 23 Katherine Merchant (Worcester), 24 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield),

Tries: Tuson (2), Millar-Mills, Waterman, Thompson, Burnfield

Conversions: Cattell

Penalties:

Substitutions: Davidson for Rozario, Merchant for Laybourn (both 54), Fletcher for Hunter, Croker for Fleetwood, Braund for Taylor, Clark for Keates (all 60), Oliver for Waterman (69).

England Women’s European Cup Schedule

Spain v England, May 12, WON 61-0.

Italy v England, May 15,WON 32-8

France v England, May 19, KO 630pm

Bristol’s Amber Reed is set to make her debut after being named in the starting line-up at centre, while Lichfield’s Fiona Fletcher, who is a late call-up to the squad after an injury to Becky Essex, could also make her England bow if she is called off the bench. 18-year-old Lauren Cattell will make her first start for England at fly-half after coming off the bench against Spain on Saturday and scoring a try on her debut.

Smith has shaken up the pack with a new-look front-row for this game, with Rosemarie Crowley, Vicky Fleetwood and Laura Keates all starting. Rowena Burnfield and Gemma Sharples will also start. Katherine Merchant and Emily Scarratt return to the England XVs set-up after their victory in the IRB Challenge Cup Sevens at the Marriott London Sevens at the weekend.

Graham Smith, who has stepped up to Head Coach for this tournament, said: “Given that the unity of this new looking side has gelled quicker than anticipated I am fully confident that we are capable of putting on a good performance against Italy.

“This will be a big game for Lauren Cattell starting at fly-half and Amber Reed in the centre. Despite her young years, Lauren has taken everything in her stride and she certainly has the potential to be a very good player. Amber has also shown herself to be big and powerful and her running game and distribution are real positives. Teaming up with Silly Tuson in the centres I think they have the potential to be quite a combination.”

England head into Tuesday’s match on the back of an impressive 61-0, 11 try victory over Spain in the opener. Italy are set to be much tougher opponents pushing France to a 22-19 victory at the weekend.

Smith added: “We won’t be underestimating Italy at all. They put on a really good performance against France and we know they will be tricky. They are a big, robust side with a good offload game and some attacking flair. We will certainly be looking to ensure that our scrum and line-out platforms work effectively to create some good ball for our backs, who have the pace to be very dangerous.”

England 

15. Danielle Waterman (VC) (Worcester), 14. Lydia Thompson (Worcester) 13. Sally Tuson (Bristol), 12. Amber Reed (Bristol), 11. Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 10. Lauren Cattell (Chesham), 9. George Rozario (Lichfield), 1. Rosemarie Crowley (Lichfield), 2. Vicky Fleetwood (Lichfield), 3. Laura Keates (Worcester), 4. Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), 5. Rowena Burnfield (Richmond), 6 Sarah Hunter (C), 7 Gemma Sharples (Worcester), 8 Harriet Millar Mills (Lichfield). Replacements: 16. Emma Croker (Richmond), 17.Rochelle Clark (Worcester), 18. Kate Newton (Bristol), 19.Emily Braund (Lichfield), 20 Fiona Fletcher, 21.Fiona Davidson (Richmond), 22 Kim Oliver (Bristol), 23 Katherine Merchant (Worcester), 24 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield), 25 Ceri Large (Worcester).

England Women’s European Cup Schedule

Spain v England, May 12, WON 61-0.

Italy v England, May 15, KO 5pm BST

France v England, May 19, KO 630pm