Warriors Women wing Lydia Thompson will win her 45th England cap in Saturday’s Quilter International against France at Exeter.
Thompson was a replacement when England defeated France 20-10 in Clermont-Ferrand last week but will start in the return match in the only change to the starting XV made by England Head Coach Simon Middleton.
“We were delighted to secure our first win in France since 2012. The players put a real shift in and stuck to the plan,” Middleton said.
“We have had a good week’s recovery and preparation, which we will now complete in Devon.
“As we expected, last week’s game was incredibly competitive, while at the same time, it was clear to see that both sides hadn’t played competitively for a couple of months.
“However, I expect both teams to have shaken off some of the ring rust this week and the skill execution should be evident in the performances.
“Certainly from our point of view, we will be looking to improve on a couple of areas, the primary one being our handling.
“France had the lion’s share of both the possession and field position last week, which we countered with a very good defensive performance.
“This week, we will be looking to address both those balances and with it, show more of our attacking capabilities.
“Sandy Park is a great venue. When we played there against Italy in the Six Nations, the reception from the crowd and the people of Exeter was brilliant and we can’t wait for Saturday’s game.”
England
15 Sarah McKenna (Saracens Women)
14 Lydia Thompson (Worcester Warriors Women)
13 Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning)
12 Zoe Harrison (Saracens Women)
11 Abby Dow (Wasps FC Ladies)
10 Katy Daley-Mclean (Loughborough Lightning)
9 Leanne Riley (Harlequins Women)
1 Hannah Botterman (Saracens Women)
2 Lark Davies (Loughborough Lightning)
3 Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears Women)
4 Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury Women)
5 Abbie Scott (Harlequins Women)
6 Sarah Beckett (Harlequins Women)
7 Marlie Packer (Saracens Women)
8 Sarah Hunter (C) (Loughborough Lightning)
Replacements
16 Heather Kerr (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks)
17 Ellena Perry (Gloucester-Hartpury Women)
18 Shaunagh Brown (Harlequins Women)
19 Poppy Cleall (Saracens Women)
20 Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens Women)
21 Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury Women)
22 Emily Scott (Harlequins Women)
23 Jess Breach (Harlequins Women)