Never have I known a time of such depth in the England squad. John Mitchell made 13 changes to the team that beat Italy, yet the team that beat Wales delivered an even more convincing performance.
At the moment, the players in England A and England B would get into most of the other Six Nations teams. That is not arrogant or rude; that is just the quality England have. People like Poppy Cleall and Connie Powell are not even getting into the squad.
So now we have seen most of the squad play over the opening two rounds of the Women’s Six Nations, what is England’s best XV? Here is my selection…
15. Ellie Kildunne
Who else? Fifty caps, a hat-trick, most carries and most metres made against Wales. Emma Sing is very good but is more pragmatic. Ellie is on a different level; she is in great form and is playing with so much confidence that she is really backing herself.
14. Abby Dow
She looked very good against Wales and took her tries well. The addition of a kicking game is huge. If England move the ball to the edge and there is nothing on, she has a big boot and can make territorial gains.
13. Meg Jones
Emily Scarratt played well against Italy, taking the ball to the line and putting people into space, but Meg edges it with her footwork and evasion. Her try against Wales showed how dangerous she is with ball in hand and she links well with the outside backs.
12. Tatyana Heard
The way England play suits Tat. She had some nice touches and inter-links with Meg in Cardiff, and she brings the directness England need at times with her go-forward.
11. Mia Venner
The strength in her carries really stood out against Italy. She looks more dangerous than Jess Breach; in a tight space Mia has more of a physical presence and if she had a one-on-one in the five-metre channel, she looks more comfortable moving in from the touchline. Jess needs time to find the form she has shown in the league in the international game.
10. Zoe Harrison
Her kicking game caused Wales a lot of problems and the cross-field kick for Dow’s first try was perfectly executed. The width England get comes from her quality. We have not seen Holly Aitchison at 10 yet but she needs to find some form. Zoe edges Helena Rowland from the first two ...
