England's Women's Six Nations campaign has suffered a blow with prop Hannah Botterman ruled out of Saturday's opener against Ireland due to an ankle injury. Head coach John Mitchell confirmed the injury, saying the prop's ankle was 'mended in the pre-season' but is 'mechanically not quite right'. Botterman may miss the entire tournament.
Kelsey Clifford will start at loosehead prop at Twickenham. England are already without several World Cup winners due to injuries, retirements, and four pregnancies. Rosie Galligan, partner of teammate Marlie Packer, announced her pregnancy earlier this week.
Despite the absences, England remain favourites for the grand slam. Ellie Kildunne starts at full-back, with Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and Jess Breach on the wings. New captain Meg Jones, who replaced the pregnant Zoe Stratford, is at outside-centre.
In the forwards, vice-captains Amy Cokayne and Alex Matthews start at hooker and No 8 respectively. Loughborough's Haineala Lutui is set to win her first cap from the bench. Seven of the starting XV played in the World Cup final.
Jones spoke about the challenge of resetting after the World Cup success, describing 'tournament blues'. She said a January camp helped players communicate their feelings. Mitchell believes the team can build a 'dynasty' but acknowledged that distractions such as pregnancies and the 2027 Lions tour could cause occasional hiccups.
