England head into this weekend’s match still sitting at the top of the Six Nations table, narrowly ahead of France by a single point. England are determined to extend their impressive winning run in the tournament, with their last defeat occurring in 2018 when they narrowly lost away to France.
For England, this match is crucial to keep their Grand Slam ambitions alive and to set up a potential title decider in the final round against France.
Scotland, meanwhile, will be aiming to build on a mixed campaign that has seen them lose to France away in the first round, beating Wales at home in the second to then losing at home to Italy last weekend. This will be a tough away match for the Scots, they will be aiming to cause an upset against a dominant England side and secure a valuable win on the road and to dent England’s hopes for a fourth successive Grand Slam title.
England Head Coach John Mitchell has again made wholesale changes (nine) to his team for this match. He is once again keen to use his strength in depth and to see what his squad is capable of, not just for this tournament but also in the lead up to the home World Cup.
Kelsey Clifford and Sarah Bern are promoted from the bench to start as props, and Rosie Galligan joins the second row. Vice-captain Marlie Packer returns to the squad at flanker, and Maddie Feaunati is back at No. 8.
In the backs, Lucy Packer and Holly Aitchison form the half-back partnership, Claudia MacDonald returns on the wing.
Jade Shekells will be one to watch as she makes her first Test start for England alongside Megan Jones in the centre. Ellie Kildunne and Abby Dow continue in the back three.
It will be another tough game for England, but they will hope in their current form and previous history against Scotland will fall in their favour once more.
Their history of playing against Scotland is impressive, with an incredible winning streak in the Six Nations. They have won all 23 previous encounters against the Scots in this competition, with an average winning margin of 46 points.
More impressively, England have prevented Scotland from scoring any points in over half of those matches. Their home form is also exceptional, having won 54 of their last 57 home matches in the Six Nations, including the last 22 in a row.
Scotland will be looking to bounce back and show what they are capable of in this tournament. While history is stacked heavily against them, they will want to put in a strong performance and try to use their significant territory during previous games and convert in to points.
Scotland’s defence will need to be at their very best this weekend again, even in a much-changed England team. They will have to be defensively sound and will need to keep their eyes on England's Ellie Kildunne, who is the top try-scorer in the Six Nations so far with four tries, despite playing limited minutes. She has also covered the most ground with 352 carry metres.
For Scotland, Winger Francesca McGhie has been a standout, beating more defenders (24) than any other player in the Championship, so this will be a huge match up against Abbie Dow who won her 50th Cap last weekend against Ireland.
This match promises to be a fascinating encounter in Round 4 of the Women's Six Nations, with England looking to continue their march towards the Grand Slam and Scotland aiming to make their mark on the competition.
Match: England Women vs Scotland Women
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Kick-off: 16:45 BST
Location: Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium
Guinness Women's Six Nations - Round 4
Where to Watch: BBC Two.
PHOTO CREDIT: The Independent - Reuters
WRITTEN BY: Amy Tuscher
Add comment
Comments