Red Roses name experienced squad for home leg of WXV Global Series
SokaLive
07 Sep 2026, 11:21
England head coach John Mitchell has named a formidable 36-player squad featuring 25 World Cup winners for the upcoming home leg of the WXV Global Series. This powerhouse selection underscores the Red Roses' relentless pursuit of dominance as they prepare to host elite international competition on home soil. Captain Marlie Packer, who boasts over a century of international caps for her country, anchors a pack renowned for its physicality and set-piece mastery. Mitchell has blended veteran composure with exciting emerging talent from Allianz Premiership Women's Rugby clubs like Saracens and Gloucester-Hartpury, ensuring fierce internal competition for starting jerseys across the entire squad.
The squad selection arrives on the back of another dominant Six Nations Grand Slam campaign, highlighting the Red Roses' undisputed status at the summit of the women's global game. Key playmakers such as fly-half Zoe Harrison and dynamic center Emily Scarratt bring invaluable tournament experience to the backline, having triumphed on the biggest stages in world rugby. Meanwhile, dominant forward Sarah Bern continues her recovery within the camp, adding vital scrummaging depth that terrorized opponents during the previous World Cycle. The coaching staff has emphasized tactical evolution, integrating rapid ball-movement strategies to exploit the expansive pitches anticipated during the upcoming tournament fixtures.
As the Red Roses gear up for high-stakes encounters against the world's best traveling nations, the tournament serves as a crucial milestone on the road to the next Rugby World Cup in England. Matches will be hosted at iconic venues across the country, with ticket sales already projecting record-breaking attendances that reflect the exponential growth of the sport. Fans eagerly anticipate seeing whether reigning World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Ellie Kildunne can maintain her electrifying try-scoring form on the international stage. Success in this autumn series will provide Mitchell's squad with an unassailable psychological edge over their primary southern hemisphere rivals.
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