Simon Middleton unveiled England’s Rugby World Cup squad and admitted he will consider it a failure if they don’t bring home the trophy.
The Red Roses are ranked No1 in the sport, have not lost since 2019 and are the first Test-playing nation – male or female – to win 25 successive games.
The 32-strong squad heads to New Zealand this weekend determined to emulate the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph on the global stage.
Head coach Middleton said: “We’ve got to win it. We’ve got the best strength in depth we’ve ever had.
“That doesn’t mean we will win. You look at Argentina [men’s rugby] beating New Zealand for the first time, you look at Andy Ruiz knocking Anthony Joshua out.
“Going back to when I played, Wimbledon beating Liverpool in the FA Cup final]. Everybody has a chance in sport.
“But we’ve got everything at our disposal that we could want. We’re as ready to go as we could be.”
Winger Abby Dow, who broke her leg in April, is a notable inclusion in a squad charged with adding to England’s World Cup wins in 1994 and 2014.
Scrum-half Claudia McDonald, who feared her career was over after suffering a neck injury in 2021, also makes the cut - with World Cup-winner Natasha Hunt missing out.
Team captain Sarah Hunter has been counting down the days since England women’s footballers claimed the Euros.
“You couldn’t help but be inspired by the way they conducted themselves on and off the pitch,” she said.
“The way they performed when they came under pressure and how they managed those situations. We can learn from what they did, how they found ways to win.
“With England’s women also taking hockey gold at the Commonwealth Games women’s sport in this country is amazingly successful at the minute. We want to continue that.”
England Rugby World Cup squad
Forwards: Zoe Aldcroft, Sarah Bern, Hannah Botterman, Shaunagh Brown, Poppy Cleall, Amy Cokayne, Vickii Cornborough, Lark Davies, Rosie Galligan, Sarah Hunter, Sadia Kabeya, Laura Keates, Alex Matthews, Maud Muir, Cath O'Donnell, Marlie Packer, Connie Powell, Morwenna Talling, Abbie Ward.
Backs: Holly Aitchison, Jess Breach, Abby Dow, Zoe Harrison, Tatyana Heard, Leanne Infante, Ellie Kildunne, Claudia MacDonald, Sarah McKenna, Lucy Packer, Helena Rowland, Emily Scarratt, Lydia Thompson.
Dates: Pool C: v Fiji (Auckland, Oct 8), France (Whangarei, Oct 15), South Africa (Auckland, Oct 23). QFs (Oct 29/30. SFs (Auckland, Nov 5). Final (Auckland, Nov 12).
