England women’s rugby head coach John Mitchell has chosen to keep full-back Ellie Kildunne among the replacements for Friday’s international fixture against the United States in New Jersey. The decision comes as part of six total adjustments to the starting lineup following a 31-22 loss to Canada last Saturday in Ottawa.
Squad Rotation and Roster Adjustments
Kildunne, a 27-year-old Bristol Bears player who holds 67 international caps, was previously left out of the starting team after Mitchell cited a need for her to demonstrate “greater consistency”. Emma Sing retains the starting full-back jersey for the upcoming match. Kildunne was named World Rugby’s player of the year in 2024, played a major role in the Red Roses’ 2025 World Cup triumph, and previously recorded two tries alongside two assists when facing the USA in August 2025.
Mitchell made four alterations among the backs, bringing in Tatyana Heard, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, Flo Robinson, and Holly Aitchison for their initial starts of the current tour. Within the forward pack, Mackenzie Carson and Maud Muir step into the starting team to replace Hannah Botterman and Sarah Bern.
Coaching Strategy and Team Lineup
Explaining his choices, Mitchell stated that the squad aims to begin their next phase decisively versus the American side, noting a six-month window before their subsequent Test appearance in the Women’s Six Nations tournament. He emphasized that position rotation serves to refresh the squad, generate playing opportunities, and expand team depth. Create opportunities and continue building our depth, we’re rotating some positions this week to refresh the group.
“Selection is driven by what the team needs against the USA, the behaviours we value and the performance we’re preparing to deliver,” Mitchell said, adding that each squad member holds specific responsibilities and accountability toward team standards. And everyone is accountable for our standards, everyone has a role.
Matchday Roster Details
- Starting XVEmma Sing; Mia Venner, Megan Jones, Tatyana Heard, Claudia Moloney-MacDonald; Holly Aitchison, Flo Robinson; Mackenzie Carson, Amy Cokayne, Maud Muir, Abbie Ward, Morwenna Talling, Georgia Brock, Sadia Kabeya, Sarah Beckett.
- ReplacementsLark Atkin-Davies, Hannah Botterman, Sarah Bern, Rosie Galligan, Alex Matthews, Lucy Packer, Zoe Harrison, Ellie Kildunne.
