Red Roses Jostle For Position As Lionesses Hand On Baton

Rugby World Cup warm-up: England v Spain

Venue: Mattioli Woods Welford Road Date: Saturday, 2 August Kick-off: 15:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC iPlayer and website pinch unrecorded matter commentary connected nan website and app

After training this week, nan Red Roses person been practising a caller three-part drill: a hop, a measurement and a strike.

Chloe Kelly's unique punishment method doesn't activity arsenic good for everyone though.

"Some are amended astatine it than others," smiles caput coach John Mitchell astatine his players' attempts to transcript nan Euros-winning England footballer.

"The girls emotion mimicking those sorts of things. We'll astir apt person to put a extremity connected it arsenic we don't want to do immoderate hamstrings!"

England look Spain connected Saturday, conscionable arsenic Kelly and her team-mates did successful past weekend's final.

The unit will beryllium immoderate measurement short of shootout accent though.

Spain are classed 13th successful nan world. They person mislaid their past 3 games - 1 Test against South Africa and 2 against Japan. Their past gathering pinch England was a 10-try 56-5 thrashing successful nan 2017 Rugby World Cup excavation stages.

A clutch of Las Leonas - Ealing Trailfinders prop Cristina Blanco, Sale Sharks backmost statement Alba Capell and Harlequins backmost Claudia Pena - compete successful nan PWR.

Fly-half Amalia Argudo is simply a cardinal portion of nan Toulouse broadside that reached nan Elite 1 last successful France earlier this year.

But collectively, they will deficiency nan value and extent to connection important guidance to nan queenpins of nan women's game.

Instead nan title for nan Red Roses will chiefly beryllium internal.

The 2024-25 English home play was condensed, pinch nan last taking spot 3 months earlier than usual, to maximise nan Red Roses' mentation for nan forthcoming Rugby World Cup.

As such, this warm-up against Spain marks 2 months since their first training camp.

During that clip they person been to nan power of Treviso and plumbed nan depths of their stamina to find an other edge.

Over nan remainder of nan world, but besides complete each other.

The gathering pinch Spain gives players connected nan fringe of nan 32-strong squad a chance to push towards nan centre of Mitchell's planning.

Maddie Feaunati is successful a imaginable tussle pinch Alex Matthews for nan first-choice number 8 shirt, while Marlie Packer and Abi Burton - astatine other ends of their Test careers - will beryllium straight compared to Sadia Kabeya, who is poised connected nan bench.

Zoe Harrison, successful title pinch Holly Aitchison, has a chance to cement her spot astatine 10. Lucy Packer, England's starting 9 successful their World Cup last conclusion by New Zealand 3 years ago, is trying to unseat Natasha Hunt.

In nan front-row, location is Springbok-style spot successful depth, pinch hooker May Campbell, joint-top effort scorer successful nan PWR past season, Hannah Botterman and Maud Muir arsenic nan back-up to Kelsey Clifford, Lark Atkin-Davies and Sarah Bern.

There is intrigue connected nan helping arsenic Jess Breach attempts to separator up of Claudia Moloney-McDonald and Helena Rowland, a sublimely skilled footballer still searching for a unafraid backline spot, and effort her manus retired wide.

Centre Jade Shekells will effort to barge into nan midfield equation arsenic she wins her 3rd cap. Emma Sing has been fantabulous for Gloucester-Hartpury, but has nan hardest task of all, keeping World Player of nan Year Ellie Kildunne's full-back spot warm.

And successful nan background, for each of them, is nan clock.

The canapes and tickertape person hardly been cleared distant from football's celebrations, but a baton has been passed. England will play France adjacent play successful their last warm-up and past nan rehearsals are over.

A Rugby World Cup opener against nan United States awaits connected 22 August.

Marlie Packer, who captains nan broadside against Spain, is mounting her sights high.

She has won nan World Cup before.

Back successful 2014, England's women footballers, preparing for a qualifier against Wales, came disconnected nan training transportation and sat down to cheer Packer and her team-mates - each amateurs - to a last triumph complete Canada.

This clip though a Red Roses victory, connected location turf, arsenic professionals, astatine a sold-out Allianz Stadium, would beryllium galore magnitudes bigger.

"It is our move now, let's spell and do it," said Packer.

"Like really nan footballers person inspired us, we want to animate them and nan nation.

"We tin specify nan measurement women's rugby is looked astatine by nan measurement we play and really we want to be."

Spain is wherever England robust retired nan mini specifications needed to realise that large ambition.