Wing Lydia Thompson will return from England duty to boost Warriors Women for their return to Tyrrells Premier 15s action against Bristol Bears Women at Sixways on Sunday (kick-off 3.00pm).
Thompson’s last minute try at Exeter two weeks ago helped England complete back-to-back victories over France following a win in Clermont Ferrand the previous week where she came off the bench.
Fly-half Sarah Nicholas will have her first league start for Warriors Women having made her debut off the bench at Darlington Mowden Park Sharks last month.
Nicholas, an England Under-20s international, joined Warriors Women from Gloucester-Hartpury last month and impressed in the 33-0 victory over The Army at Sixways in a friendly last Friday.
The inclusion of Nicholas is one of three changes made by Warriors Women to their starting XV.
Meg Varley starts in the centre alongside Jade Shekells with Carmen Tremelling named at hooker.
Sarah Mimnagh and Vicky Foxwell, who started against Darlington Mowden Park, are named among the replacements.
Warriors Women are without prop Sasha Acheson, lock Gwenn Crabb, back-row forward Alex Callender and scrum-half Ffion Lewis who are involved in Saturday’s Wales v Barbarians Women match in Cardiff.
Warriors Women Director of Rugby Jo Yapp is Head Coach of Barbarians Women for the showpiece fixture.
Sunday’s match is also the Sepsis Awareness Day match. Warriors Women have partnered with the UK Sepsis Trust to raise awareness of sepsis which is a life-threatening reaction to infection and kills five people every hour and affects 25,000 children each year in the UK.
The Sepsis Awareness Day will also help to raise funds for the UK Sepsis Trust, who are also sponsoring Warriors Women’s shirts this season.
Warriors Women
15 Carys Cox
14 Lydia Thompson
13 Jade Shekells
12 Meg Varley
11 Vicky Laflin
10 Sarah Nicholas
9 Brooke Bradley
1 Lauren Leatherland
2 Carmen Tremelling
3 Laura Keates
4 Lyndsay O’Donnell (C)
5 Elizabeth Shermer
6 Sara Moreira
7 Taz Bricknell
8 Lucy Lockhart
16 Sarah Mimnagh
17 Akina Gondwe
18 Laura Thomas
19 Sioned Harries
20 Megan Goddard
21 Vicky Foxwell
22 Lowri Williams