England unchanged for Women's World Cup final against Canada at Twickenham

England have named an unchanged starting XV for the Women's Rugby World Cup final against Canada on Saturday at Twickenham, with head coach John Mitchell sticking with the same group that beat France 35-17 in the semi-final. Zoe Aldcroft will captain the Red Roses in their seventh straight World Cup final. England have not won the tournament since 2014 and have lost the past two finals to New Zealand.

Star full-back Ellie Kildunne, Abby Dow, Zoe Harrison, Amy Cokayne, Aldcroft, Abbie Ward and Alex Matthews all retain their spots from the starting XV defeated by the Black Ferns three years ago. The Red Roses are on a record 32-test winning run and have not lost since that Eden Park defeat. They go into the final against an in-form Canada side that is ranked No. 2 in the world. Canada, semi-professional and crowdfunded nearly a third of their World Cup budget, are currently at 95% of their million-dollar fundraising goal entitled Mission: Win Rugby World Cup. They delivered a remarkable semi-final performance to defeat New Zealand and reach their first World Cup final since losing to England in 2014.

England’s meet-up with Canada is set to attract a record crowd at Twickenham, with organizers aiming to surpass the 82,000-capacity threshold and push beyond the attendance marks set in the 2023 Six Nations at the same venue. Mitchell stressed the significance of the occasion and the preparation that has gone into building a squad capable of maintaining form across a full 80 minutes against a Canadian side that has impressed all tournament. "Our staff and players have worked hard to reach this stage of the tournament. Playing a World Cup final at Allianz Stadium [Twickenham] in front of a record 82,000 is a significant milestone for the sport. We are well prepared for the challenge against Canada. It is number one versus number two in the world, and we know the contest will demand a full 80 minutes. Our focus remains on staying in our process and executing effectively," Mitchell said. Since taking over in 2023, he has rotated to build depth and two strong squads, but in this case has opted for consistency in selection rather than a bold reshuffle ahead of a key match.

England faced Canada by nine points when they met in the WXV1 competition last year in Vancouver, a reminder of the competitive challenge awaiting them at Twickenham. Holly Aitchison impressed off the bench in the semi-final win, and former England World Cup-winner Kat Merchant had called for Lucy Packer to start at scrum-half over Natasha Hunt, though Mitchell elected to stick with his preferred pairing. The Red Roses enter the final as favorites to lift a home World Cup, with a 32-game winning streak and the confidence that comes with near-total continuity at the business end of the tournament.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Cokayne, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), Kabeya, Matthews. Replacements: Atkin-Davies, Clifford, Bern, Galligan, Feaunati, L Packer, Aitchison, Rowland.