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Emily Scarratt, Natasha Hunt and Maddie Feaunati (from left to right)
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
Host nation: England Dates: 22 August-27 September
Coverage: Selected matches on BBC TV, with every game live on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website and app; listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and Radio 5 Sports Extra
England has unveiled a formidable 32-player squad for the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup on home soil.
Following consecutive final defeats to New Zealand, the Red Roses enter as favorites to secure their first World Cup title since 2014.
Head coach John Mitchell faced a challenging task in narrowing down his final selection from the initial 42-strong training squad, given the wealth of talent at his disposal.
BBC Sport examines the critical factors influencing these decisions.
Scarratt is a former World Rugby women’s player of the year
With her selection, Emily Scarratt is poised to become the first English rugby union player to participate in five World Cups.
However, she is likely to assume a different role this time around.
The 35-year-old center, boasting 118 caps and the most experience in the squad, was named player of the match in the 2014 World Cup final victory over Canada.
Since returning last year from neck surgery and a 13-month absence, Scarratt has yet to fully re-establish herself under Mitchell’s leadership.
Vice-captain Megan Jones and Tatyana Heard have emerged as Mitchell’s preferred center pairing, with Scarratt missing out on a bench spot to players offering broader positional coverage.
Scarratt, who was absent from the matchday squad for England’s Grand Slam victory over France in April, was initially trialed at inside center by Mitchell, despite her career predominantly spent at outside center.
While that experiment did not fully materialize, Scarratt has nonetheless secured a squad position.
“That’s an extraordinary feat. She’s in really good shape, she’s trained really hard in the first stage of our pre-season,” Mitchell said.
“She’s highly valued because she’s experienced, she likes to hold a Red Roses legacy, she’s a really good mentor as well.”
Scarratt is among four squad members returning from the team that defeated Canada 11 years ago.
Marlie Packer, Alex Matthews, and Natasha Hunt, who all played that day, have been instrumental figures for Mitchell over the past two seasons.
Packer, 35, captained England during that period, securing consecutive Grand Slams before Zoe Aldcroft assumed the captaincy this year.
The emergence of young talent in the back row presents Packer with stiff competition for a starting position, but her experience, having started the past three World Cup finals, will be invaluable.
Number eight Alex Matthews, named player of the match in England’s Grand Slam victory against France last year, has evolved into Mitchell’s go-to player for major games.
Despite a suspension affecting the 31-year-old’s start to this year’s Six Nations, she demonstrated her quality upon her return. Matthews’ powerful ball-carrying is often central to England’s strong performances.
Hunt has cemented her position as Mitchell’s starting scrum-half after a surprising omission from the 2022 World Cup squad.
At 36, she is the oldest player in the squad but has arguably played her best rugby over the past two seasons.
Hunt’s rapid service is crucial to Mitchell’s desired style of play, and her return to the international stage has significantly enhanced England’s attack.
The class of 2014 boasts a combined 383 caps and will be pivotal in driving Mitchell’s strategy, with the prospect of a final World Cup appearance at Twickenham serving as added motivation.
“There are so many lessons [from winning a World Cup],” Scarratt told BBC Sport.
“Even the times we’ve lost in World Cup finals. Not everything has to be perfect. You think in a successful campaign everything needs to be perfect and on the money, and of course you’re striving for that but inevitably there are going to be bumps, there will be things you have to fix.”
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Lock Lilli Ives Campion (centre) is heading to her first World Cup with Maddie Feaunati (right)
Twelve of England’s starting XV from the agonizing World Cup final defeat by the Black Ferns in 2022 have been re-selected.
Amy Cokayne, Sarah Bern, and Abbie Ward, alongside the class of 2014, also started in the 2017 final loss to the Black Ferns.
Will these previous final defeats weigh on their minds should the teams meet again in the showpiece event?
For some members of the squad, the pressure of past World Cup final defeats is absent.
Flanker Maddie Feaunati is among eight Red Roses selected for their World Cup debuts.
The 23-year-old made her England debut last year and delivered standout performances in this year’s Six Nations.
Her fearless attitude is evident in her aggressive playing style, potentially offering a refreshing approach during the crucial stages of the tournament.
She possesses the attributes to emerge as a potential star of the World Cup as she challenges veteran back-rowers Packer and Matthews.
Forwards Sadia Kabeya and Morwenna Talling, who attended the previous World Cup as 20-year-olds, now have a genuine chance of securing a starting position.
Both players will contribute youthful energy to complement Mitchell’s experienced campaigners.
Mitchell faced difficult decisions, especially at hooker and in the back three, to reduce his squad to 32 players.
“It’ll be hard on some players in the sense that some specialists might miss out as a result of the versatility that’s needed,” Mitchell had stated.
Saracens hooker Campbell, with three caps, was selected for the Six Nations squad over Connie Powell.
The battle to be the third hooker behind Lark Atkin-Davies and Amy Cokayne went to Campbell in recognition of her club form.
The 29-year-old has made several appearances in the back row, and this versatility, given the reduced squad size, likely influenced the decision.
Similarly, Exeter wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald covered scrum-half at the 2022 World Cup, enabling Mitchell to opt for only two specialist scrum-halves.
While versatility can be a drawback when vying for a starting position, as utility back Helena Rowland appears to have experienced under Mitchell, it is a valuable asset for tight squad selections and bench roles.
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Olympian Abi Burton spent 25 days in an induced coma in 2022 and, remarkably, will now participate in a World Cup.
Upon emerging from her coma, Burton had lost more than three stone (19kg), but she miraculously returned to rugby sevens in time for her second Olympics in Paris, before impressing on her return to XVs with Trailfinders Women.
Adding to the impressiveness of her achievement is the fact that the 25-year-old back-rower is included in one of the squad’s most competitive areas.
Burton has only two caps, with her two tries off the bench on her England debut against Wales in March significantly contributing to her inclusion.
Her explosive cameo demonstrated a point of difference, edging out 24-year-old Georgia Brock, whom Mitchell holds in high regard.
Another GB Sevens player, Jade Shekells, has also been selected as one of the centers, showcasing her raw athleticism on her England debut against Italy in York in March.
Both players represent intriguing selections by Mitchell, who clearly values their physical capabilities as potential game-changers.
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