England v Italy- Kick-off 3pm, LNER Community Stadium, York
Zoe Aldcroft captains England for the first time today as her Red Roses start their title defence against Italy in York.
Helena Rowland, who has mainly operated in the centres in her recent appearances for England, will begin at fly-half as regular 10 Holly Aitchison is shifted across to the 12 jersey.
“She’s definitely versatile but she wants to play at 10 and she sees herself as a 10,” said head coach John Mitchell, below.
“She’s been keen as mustard and knocking my door down so she’s been given the opportunity.
“When she starts, she’ll start at 10 and if she’s in the mix for the 23 going forward, then she becomes versatile – but her first port of call will be at 10.”
While winning a seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations title is high on England’s agenda, the competition will also give opportunities for players to stake their claims for spots in
Mitchell’s squad at the home Rugby World Cup which starts in August.
Squad News
Exeter’s Claudia MacDonald, who has recovered from a second serious neck injury in the past 12 months, will start on the wing for her first England appearance since the WXV tournament in 2023.
Emma Sing of Gloucester-Hartpury – the PWR’s leading points-scorer in 2024-25 – will start at full-back, with women’s player of the year Ellie Kildunne named on the bench.
Mitchell said: “2025 starts with the end in mind. It’s important to realise we’ll need two teams to operate this year to play 13 Test matches. We wouldn’t call it rotation. It’s one team operating as two. The planning is very much around that and it would be stupid not to plan with that in mind. So we’ve started with this team against Italy. It has an exciting mix in it.”
Mia Venner, fresh from helping Gloucester-Hartpury win a third successive Premiership Women’s Rugby title last weekend, wins her second cap on the wing and, like Loughborough Lightning lock Lilli Ives Campion, will be making her first international start.
Ives Campion
Ives Campion said: “I’ve been in the squad for a little bit now, but the Six Nations is something you always aspire to be a part of and what better year to be a part of it.
“I would love to represent England at the World Cup, that would be incredible. But I’m also just living in the moment, enjoying where I am.
“Hopefully I can be part of the team going into pre-season ahead of the World Cup – and then hopefully win the World Cup.”
Aldcroft starts in the back row alongside Marlie Packer, who she replaced as skipper in January.
Aldcroft’s team-mate at Gloucester-Hartpury, GB Sevens player Jade Shekells, could make her XV’s Test debut as the centre is named among the replacements alongside fellow uncapped Exeter scrum-half Flo Robinson.
John Mitchell
Head coach Mitchell has been taken aback by Shekells saying: “I watched her first three games early in the year and thought ‘wow, I’ve been looking for a 12 that can win the gain-line, I’m also seeing a really good defensive player and a person who can distribute’.
“As I’ve got to know her more, she’s even more of a competitor than I realised. We’ve got to make sure we prepare for whatever happens and that we have somebody else ready.”
On fellow newcomer Robinson, Mitchell added: “I really loved the way she played rugby in PWR.
“I thought she was outstanding at the start and then played in an Exeter side that didn’t really hit its straps in the latter part of the season, but she was still going 80 minutes, was totally resilient in defence and she likes to run.”
One player unavailable for selection is back row Alex Matthews, who has been given a three-game ban for a dangerous tackle in last weekend’s PWR final.
The Saracen will also miss the match against Wales on March 29 but could return to face Ireland on April 12 if she completes World Rugby‘s coaching intervention programme.
England start as strong favourites against Italy, who finished fifth in the 2024 tournament, winning one of their five games.
Last year’s Six Nations meeting between the sides ended in a 48-0 victory for England in Parma, despite the Red Roses having Sarah Beckett sent off in the first half.
Italy
Italy have a new coach in Fabio Roselli, who has named an experienced line-up which includes Sale Sharks duo Beatrice Rigoni (centre) and Sofia Stefan (scrum-half), captain of the side in the absence of Elisa Giordano.
Meanwhile, flanker Giada Franco returns to the bench after a long injury lay-off. A key figure in Italy’s historic 2019 campaign — which saw them finish second with three wins and a draw, their best-ever result in the Championship – Franco will be eager to make her mark once again.
