Preview: Red Roses vs Australia
Things to know ahead of the Red Roses' World Cup Quarter Final game against Australia.
Sarah Hunter will earn her 138th England cap against Australia this weekend, surpassing Rocky Clark and breaking the record for the most international appearances for any England player, male or female.
When? | Sunday 30th October |
Where? | Waikatere Stadium, Auckland |
Kick off? | 01:30 |
You can watch the match live on ITV, follow updates on England Rugby's Instagram and Twitter accounts, and check out the reaction on EnglandRugby.com.
TEAMS
Red Roses
Starters
15. Helena Rowland, 14. Lydia Thompson, 13. Emily Scarratt, (VC) 12. Tatyana Heard, 11. Abby Dow, 10. Zoe Harrison, 9. Leanne Infante, 1. Vickii Cornborough, 2. Amy Cokayne, 3. Sarah Bern, 4. Zoe Aldcroft, 5. Abbie Ward, 6. Alex Matthews, 7. Marlie Packer, 8. Sarah Hunter (C)
Finishers
16. Lark Davies, 17. Hannah Botterman, 18. Maud Muir, 19. Rosie Galligan, 20. Poppy Cleall, 21. Lucy Packer, 22. Holly Aitchison, 23. Ellie Kildunne
Australia
15. Pauline Piliae-Rasabale, 14. Bienne Terita, 13. Georgina Friedrichs, 12. Sharni Williams, 11. Lori Cramer, 10. Arabella McKenzie, 9. Layne Morgan, 1. Liz Patu, 2. Adiana Talakai, 3. Bridie O'Gorman, 4. Michaela Leonard, 5. Grace Kemp, 6. Emily Chancellor, 7. Shannon Parry (C), 8. Grace Hamilton.
Replacements
16. Tania Naden, 17. Emily Robinson, 18. Eva Karpani, 19. Sera Naiqama, 20. Piper Duck, 21. Iliseva Batibasaga 22. Cecilia Smith, 23. Mahalia Murphy.
VIEWS FROM CAMP
Simon Middleton: "Whatever sport you play, when you finish playing, if you can look back and say 'I gave my very best in every single thing I did and I couldn't have been any better', then you're very lucky. Very few people can say that, but Sarah can. She is as good as she can be and gives everything she's got, and it's been a privilege coaching her."
Sarah Hunter: "To get to play for your country so many times is a real privilege and a real honour, and it's probably the thing I'm most proud of in my entire life but I think that the fact that you get to do it with the people around you makes it so special. It's the players, the coaches, the staff around you that make you the player you are. There's no way I would be in this position without the players that I've played with or the coaches that have supported me.
"I don't think it will really sink in until I've had a chance to reflect on it, because the focus is still on Australia. It's not taking anything away from this moment and how much it means to me but I'd be letting myself down if I let it take priority. We're in knock-out rugby now, there are no second chances so that has to be the priority. The individual accolade is great but we're here for one reason, and that's the team."
PREVIOUS MATCHES
STATS
England are currently on a 28-game winning streak, the longest ever run in women’s or men’s Test rugby history.
England have won all five of their previous Test matches against Australia, with each of those wins coming by a margin of 10+ points.
England are the only side to have reached the semi-finals in every single edition of the World Cup.
England (62%) and Australia (58%) are the two teams to have averaged the most possession per game in this year’s Rugby World Cup.