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England and Canada announce teams for WXV 1 clash in Dunedin
By Lucy Lomax
England and Canada have announced their match day 23's for Friday evening's clash at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin in round 2 of WXV 1. Both teams head into the game off the back of convincing wins against Australia and Wales respectively.
The Red Roses make nine changes to their starting line-up, with an all new front row of Mackenzie Carson, Lark Atkin-Davies and Sarah Bern set to start, whilst Canada make small tweaks with Paige Farries coming back into the starting team on the wing and Sarah-Maude Lachance switching to fullback.
After earning her 50th cap against Wales, DaLeaka Menin will start the game at tight head prop, with Alexandria Ellis moving to the bench.
England's Natasha Hunt, Ellie Kildunne and Claudia MacDonald are set to make their first WXV starts.
Red Roses
15. Ellie Kildunne, 14. Abby Dow, 13. Helena Rowland, 12. Amber Reed, 11. Claudia MacDonald, 10. Holly Aitchison, 9. Natasha Hunt, 1. Mackenzie Carson, 2. Lark Atkin-Davies, 3. Sarah Bern, 4. Zoe Aldcroft, 5. Catherine O'Donnell, 6. Morwenna Talling, 7. Marlie Packer, 8. Alex Matthews
Replacements
16. Connie Powell, 17. Hannah Botterman, 18. Maud Muir, 19. Rosie Galligan, 20. Maisy Allen, 21. Ella Wyrwas, 22. Tatyana Heard, 23. Jess Breach
Canada
15. Sarah-Maude Lachance, 14. Paige Farries, 13. Shoshanah Seumanutafa, 12. Alexandra Tessier, 11. Florence Symonds, 10. Claire Gallagher, 9. Olivia Apps, 1. McKinley Hunt, 2. Emily Tuttosi, 3. DaLeaka Menin, 4. Tyson Beukeboom, 5. Courtney Holtkamp, 6. Gabrielle Senft, 7. Sara Svoboda, 8. Sophie de Goede
Replacements
16. Gillian Boag, 17. Brittany Kassil, 18. Alexandria Ellis, 19. Ashlynn Smith, 20. Sara Cline, 21. Justine Pelletier, 222. Julia Schell, 23. Madison Grant
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Free to air is the key to fan expansion. I attended last weeks game at Suncorp (Reds v Blues) and the total cost is prohibitive to most people that wish to attend. Two tickets $130, parking (event day gouging) $75, road tolls $20, dinner beforehand $130, plus some petrol and a beer inside the stadium and a single game starts to cost $300-400. Who can afford that week in week out, I’d love to go more but could only afford this one game to see the Blues, I’d have loved to have seen more NZ teams here but I’d need to stop eating or sell a kidney.
Go to commentsBrumbies are looking good and if they keep their home form up a final is not beyond the realms of possibility. They showed against the Hurricanes exactly how clinical they can be as they absorbed pressure in that contest while also scoring points and applying their own pressure. Reds are well placed as well but need to find consistency. They are building a longer term project with a young side and plenty of quality players. Been surprising to see the strength of Aussie sides this year after the debacle of the world cup. Have NZ sides gotten weaker? Have Aussie sides gotten stronger? A bit of both I would say. Whatever the case its good to see some actual competition between NZ and Aus sides again and thats exactly what the fans wanted and is probably driving better viewership numbers. All of this can only be healthy for Aus and Super Rugby and I hope the Brumbies go all the way.
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