England's Women's Six Nations campaign has suffered a significant setback with centre Tatyana Heard ruled out of the tournament due to a foot injury. The World Cup winner has been a key figure under head coach John Mitchell, starting at inside centre in the final against Canada last September.
Heard's absence leaves the Red Roses short of proven midfield options, following the retirement of veteran Emily Scarratt after the World Cup. Club-mate Jade Shekells is also unavailable, prompting Mitchell to call up uncapped Loughborough Lightning midfielder Carmella Morrall.
Morrall will compete with fellow potential debutant Sarah Parry for a place alongside captain Meg Jones. Fly halves Helena Rowland and Holly Aitchison can also cover the centre positions, while Mitchell has hinted at experimenting with full-back Emma Sing in midfield.
“We’d like to see how Emma Sing goes in the midfield over the next few years,” Mitchell said. “She is a very strong carrier of the ball. Whether we look at that in this tournament is another thing, but it’s certainly in our minds.”
England open their campaign against Ireland at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium on Saturday 11 April, with over 70,000 tickets already sold for the fixture.
