Emily Scarratt has been selected for a record fifth World Cup after England named their 32-player squad for the home tournament which gets under way next month.
The Loughborough Lightning centre, and leading points scorer in women’s rugby, spent more than a year away from the game with a serious neck injury that threatened to cut short her career, but the 35-year-old has since returned to the England set-up and will be a key member of the squad aiming to win their first World Cup title since 2014.
Scrum-half Natasha Hunt has also been named after missing the last tournament in 2022.
England will start their World Cup campaign against USA at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Friday August 22 (7.30pm kick-off) before facing Samoa in Northampton on Saturday August 30 and Australia in Brighton on Saturday September 6.
England secured a fourth Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam in a row back in April and head into the World Cup as the top-ranked side after winning 25 matches in succession.
Their last defeat came in the 2022 World Cup final against New Zealand where they narrowly lost 34-31 after the early dismissal of winger Lydia Thompson.
Red Roses’ World Cup squad:
Forwards: Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 63 caps), Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears, 66 caps), Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 71 caps), Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears, 56 caps), Abi Burton (Trailfinders Women, 2 caps), May Campbell (Saracens, 3 caps), Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury, 21 caps), Kelsey Clifford (Saracens, 13 caps), Amy Cokayne (Sale Sharks, 83 caps), Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs, 15 caps), Rosie Galligan (Saracens, 24 caps), Lilli Ives Campion (Loughborough Lightning, 2 caps), Sadia Kabeya, (Loughborough Lightning, 21 caps), Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury, 75 caps), Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury, 40 caps), Marlie Packer (Saracens, 110 caps), Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks, 22 caps), Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears, 74 caps)
Backs: Holly Aitchison (Sale Sharks, 40 caps), Jess Breach (Saracens, 45 caps), Abby Dow (Unattached, 52 caps), Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 57 caps), Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury, 29 caps), Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury, 80 caps), Megan Jones (Trailfinders Women, 25 caps), Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 52 caps), Claudia Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs, 35 caps), Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 31 caps), Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 39 caps), Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 118 caps), Jade Shekells (Gloucester-Hartpury, 2 caps), Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury, 8 caps)
More to follow
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 fixtures
Friday August 22
England vs USA, Sunderland, 7.30pm
Saturday August 23
Australia vs Samoa, Salford, 12pm
Scotland vs Wales, Salford, 2.45pm
Canada vs Fiji, York, 5.30pm
France vs Italy, Exeter, 8.15pm
Sunday August 24
Ireland vs Japan, Northampton, 12pm
South Africa vs Brazil, Northampton, 2.45pm
New Zealand vs Spain, York, 5.30pm
Saturday August 30
Canada vs Wales, Salford, 12pm
Scotland vs Fiji, Salford, 2.45pm
England vs Samoa, Northampton, 5pm
USA vs Australia, York, 7.30pm
Sunday August 31
Ireland vs Spain, Northampton, 12pm
New Zealand vs Japan, Exeter, 2pm
Italy vs South Africa, York, 3.30pm
France vs Brazil, Exeter, 4.45pm
Saturday September 6
Canada vs Scotland, Exeter, 12pm
USA vs Samoa, York, 1.30pm
Wales vs Fiji, Exeter, 2.45pm
England vs Australia, Brighton, 5pm
Sunday September 7
Japan vs Spain, York, 12pm
Italy vs Brazil, Northampton, 2pm
New Zealand vs Ireland, Brighton, 2.45pm
France vs South Africa, Northampton, 4.45pm
Saturday September 13
Quarter-final 1: Winner Pool C vs Runner-up Pool D, Exeter, 12.30pm
Quarter-final 2: Winner Pool B vs Runner-up Pool A, Bristol, 4pm
Sunday September 14
Quarter-final 3: Winner Pool D vs Runner-up Pool C, Exeter, 12.30pm
Quarter-final 4: Winner Pool A vs Runner-up Pool B, Bristol, 4pm
Friday September 19
Semi-final 1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF2, Bristol, 7pm
Saturday September 20
Semi-final 2: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF4, Bristol, 3.30pm
Saturday September 27
Bronze final: Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2, London, 12.30pm
Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2, London, 4pm
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 draw in full
- Pool A: England, Australia, USA, Samoa.
- Pool B: Canada, Scotland, Wales, Fiji.
- Pool C: New Zealand, Ireland, Japan, Spain.
- Pool D: France, Italy, South Africa, Brazil.
The knockout stages see the tournament progress to quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third-place play-off and then the final.
The winners of England’s Pool A will face the runners-up from Scotland and Wales’ Pool B in the quarters, while the winners of France’s Pool D will face the runners-up from New Zealand and Ireland’s Pool C. The Pool B winners will face the Pool A runners-up, with the winners of Pool C facing the Pool D runners-up.
The semi-final split will then see the victors of the quarter-final clash involving the winners of Pool A (potentially England) face the winners of the quarter involving the winners of Pool D (potentially France). That means that should New Zealand and Canada top their pools and progress, England would avoid them until the final – providing the Red Roses win their pool.
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