Harrison's chance to star as England start WXV bid

WXV - United States v England

Venue: BC Place, Vancouver Date: Sunday, 29 September Kick-off: 20:30 BST Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC Sport website, BBC iPlayer and Red Button pinch unrecorded matter commentary online.

WXV1 was designed to get nan champion playing nan champion much often - but tin immoderate different squad lucifer England arsenic its 2nd play kicks disconnected connected Sunday?

World number 1 broadside England will beryllium dense favourites to take sides nan inaugural title they won past twelvemonth successful New Zealand.

The Red Roses are connected a winning tally of 17 matches and are caller disconnected nan backmost of victories complete France and world champions New Zealand.

Games against nan Black Ferns and hosts Canada are still to come, but up first connected Sunday are nan the United States, who are classed eighth successful nan world.

Head coach John Mitchell has built tremendous spot successful extent and tin spend to remainder skipper Marlie Packer and prima helping Abby Dow.

Number 8 Alex Matthews is 1 of a fewer regular starters to clasp their spots and captains her country for first time, while Zoe Harrison starts successful nan cardinal position of fly-half.

When a fresh-faced Harrison made her England debut arsenic a 19-year-old successful 2017, it looked for illustration nan Red Roses had a imaginable semipermanent successor to Katy Daley-McLean.

Harrison spent nan adjacent fewer years learning from nan 116-cap World Cup victor earlier permanently taking nan coveted jersey pursuing her mentor's status successful 2020.

The heir to nan number 10 garment was ready, and a drawstring of awesome performances helped her broadside to different World Cup last successful 2022.

A fewer months connected from nan devastating last conclusion by New Zealand, Harrison ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament playing for Saracens.

She returned earlier this year's Six Nations and started nan opening crippled against Italy, but struggled successful a first half arsenic England only led 10-0 astatine half-time.

Bristol Bears' Holly Aitchison, who deputised astatine fly-half during Harrison's absence, regained her starting spot for nan remainder of nan campaign, pinch her 26-year-old rival focusing connected getting backmost to her best.

"It has been a really bully challenge," Harrison said.

"Coming backmost from a semipermanent injury, I knew I couldn’t conscionable travel backmost into a shirt, it was a bully situation to activity my measurement backmost in.

"In position of my game, I haven't been moving connected thing successful peculiar but conscionable connected getting backmost to playing to get my sharpness back."

Now backmost up to velocity and having impressed disconnected nan chair successful their caller triumph complete New Zealand astatine Twickenham, nan Saracen has been rewarded pinch a commencement against nan United States.

Attack coach Lou Meadows described her effect arsenic "awesome" aft moving connected her expertise to "attack nan line" pinch shot successful hand.

"She has worked difficult pinch connecting nan backline," Meadows added.

"They [Zoe and Holly] person sewage a patient competitory quality betwixt them and thrust each other.

"It will springiness america an advantage arsenic opponents won't beryllium judge who we spell with."

The United States qualified for WXV1 aft finishing 3rd successful nan Pacific Four Series.

Despite dense defeats by New Zealand and Canada, nan Eagles hit Australia 32-25 successful nan last information to unafraid a spot successful nan apical tier.

Their past crippled against England came astatine Sandy Park successful a World Cup warm-up backmost successful 2022, ending successful a 52-14 defeat.

Victory would beryllium a large inquire for a broadside that vanished 5th successful WXV2 past twelvemonth aft defeats by Scotland and Italy.

However, American rugby is improving pinch a ample contingent playing successful nan Premiership Women's Rugby league, including skipper and flanker Rachel Johnson, who is astatine Exeter Chiefs.

"They are beardown athletes - personification for illustration Rachel Johnson has fixed maine a dormant limb each clip we [Gloucester-Hartpury] person played against her," said Matthews.

"They are very physical, which is thing we like, truthful we must support upping our accomplishment group arsenic a pack."

The full starting USA battalion contains players from nan PWR, pinch Meadows successful peculiar wary of Exeter Chiefs props Hope Rogers and Charli Jacoby.

"The US are going to person a beardown set-piece arsenic we cognize a fewer of their beforehand rowers," Meadows said.

"So astatine scrum and line-out location will beryllium a spot of title location and they will effort to spell aft us."

United States: Mataitoga; Emba, Henrich, Kelter, Thomas; Hawkins, Tukuafu; Rogers, Treder, Jacoby, Jarrell, Taufoou, Brody, Zackary (capt), Johnson.

Replacements: Stathopoulos, Benson, Sagapolu, Allen, Ehrecke, Pyrz, Fa'avesi, Feury.

England: Kildunne; Westcombe-Evans, Scarratt, Murray, Breach; Harrison, Packer; Carson, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Galligan, Ward, Talling, Brock, Matthews (capt).

Replacements: Cokayne, Clifford, Muir, Aldcroft, Feaunati, Wyrwas, Aitchison, Rowland.