England vs Spain: Red Roses jockey for World Cup selection in final warm-up
England host Spain in their first World Cup warm-up, with squad places at stake in a competitive 32-player roster.
Rugby World Cup Warm-Up: England vs Spain
Date: Saturday, 2 August | Kick-off: 15:00 BST | Venue: Mattioli Woods Welford Road
Coverage: Live on INLIBER iPlayer and website with live text commentary on the website and app
Selection Battle Heats Up
England's head coach John Mitchell has introduced a new warm-up routine inspired by Chloe Kelly's Euro 2022 victory dive, but warns not all players are mastering the "hop, step and strike." As the Red Roses prepare to face Spain for the first time since 2017, the real pressure lies in securing one of the 32 World Cup squad spots.
Spain’s Challenge
Ranked 13th, Spain arrive off three defeats to South Africa and Japan this year, and they suffered a 56-5 loss to England at their last World Cup meeting. Despite featuring experienced talents like prop Cristina Blanco and fly-half Amalia Argudo, Las Leonas are unlikely to match England's depth or class.
Key Positional Battles
- Number eight: Maddie Fa'au'ináti versus Alex Matthews
- Back row: Marlie Packer and Abi Burton compared with Sadia Kabeya
- Fly-half: Zoe Harrison duelling Holly Aitchison
- Scrum-half: Lucy Packer challenging Natasha Hunt
- Front row: May Campbell, Hannah Botterman and Maud Muir pushing for selection
- Wing and full-back: Jess Breach, Claudia Moloney-McDonald, Helena Rowland and Emma Sing aiming to unseat Ellie Kildunne
The compressed domestic season means the squad has been training together since June, tackling heat and endurance sessions in Treviso to sharpen their competitive edge. This match offers fringe players a last chance to force their way into Mitchell’s World Cup plans ahead of the final warm-up against France.
The clash with Spain is a final audition, where individual battles across all positions will shape England’s World Cup 32.
This topic was reported by BBC Sport.
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