John Mitchell backing Zoe Harrison as England fly-half

Zoe Harrison will anchor England’s back line against Ireland this weekend in a sign that head coach John Mitchell has opted for a changing of the guard at No 10.

Holly Aitchison was Mitchell’s first-choice fly-half last year but the Bristol Bears playmaker is yet to be deployed in the position in this year’s Women’s Six Nations, in which she has operated at inside centre whether starting or as a replacement.

Mitchell has picked what appears to be his full-strength side for Saturday’s match in Cork, with Harrison retaining the No 10 jersey she wore in the comprehensive win over Wales, and with Aitchison on the bench.

Harrison’s international career was stalled by a serious knee injury at the beginning of 2023, which allowed Aitchison to take over the fly-half reins, but she has gone from strength to strength since returning to full fitness and is now starting back-to-back games for England for the first time since the 2022 World Cup.

Mitchell has spoken about adding more of a kicking element to England’s game plan this year and Harrison certainly delivers on that front.

It would appear the Saracen has been selected for her pragmatism and precision against Ireland, who are likely to unleash their own kicking game through burgeoning fly-half Dannah O’Brien. Harrison is able to pin teams back with her boot and has plenty of experience, having played at 10 during the last World Cup.

The fly-half shirt is one of a number of selection conundrums faced by Mitchell, with Helena Rowland another option who started in this year’s opening win against Italy. Attack coach Lou Meadows did not rule out Aitchison, who is arguably more of a running threat, being given minutes in the position later in the championship.

“We’ve got multiple selection headaches in terms of where the team are at the moment,” said Meadows, “but we’re extremely lucky in terms of we’ve got a few people who can step into that [fly-half] shirt. The competition is great for that position because you want that decision-maker to be the best person on the team for that job.”

The Red Roses’ attack has flourished since Meadows joined the coaching set-up two years ago and England’s positional versatility has been a key focus as England build towards a home World Cup later this year.

“Ultimately, your bench has to have people on it who can cover multiple shirts in case of injury, but who we can also bring on as a tactical decision to go after a different level of our game, whether that’s to speed it up, or a longer kicking game, a shorter kicking game,” said Meadows.

“We want to be able to use players who can go after a different level of tactical execution and that’s where the growth of those players will come. It’s going to be rare in teams if you just have specialist players in that back line.”

Wing Abby Dow – part of the all-conquering back-three unit alongside Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach that has become a cornerstone of the Red Roses’ attacking fluidity – will earn her 50th cap in Cork.

“That girl is someone that I’ve watched even before I joined the Red Roses,” Meadows said of Dow. “Her speed is obviously a super strength, but she’s got an incredible skill-set that she’s worked on really hard, especially her kicking game. The rest of the team know that she is always going to put them on the front foot as well, so she’s a great person to have on the team, and to be honest, we trust her.”

Up front, Alex Matthews will make her first appearance of this year’s championship. The No 8 is among the most dynamic and experienced operators in England’s pack, but missed the first two rounds through suspension after being cited for a dangerous tackle following last month’s Premiership Women’s Rugby final.

A no-nonsense selection for crunch trip to Cork

Given this is the strongest-looking Ireland team in recent memory, this Red Roses selection was to be expected. Save for their 88-10 annihilation by England last year at Twickenham, Scott Bemand’s side have been on an upward curve, memorably stunning world champions New Zealand at WXV last autumn. They also beat Italy in Parma last month in a much more convincing fashion than the Red Roses managed against the Azzurre in York, running out 54-12 winners.

Mitchell has been unequivocal that he has “two sides operating as one”, such is the immense talent pool at the head coach’s disposal. But on paper, this is a more orthodox, no-nonsense selection with the back line unchanged from the side’s 67-12 victory over Wales a fortnight ago.

Harrison will have another opportunity to press her case as England’s best fly-half and is nearing top form after working her way back into the squad following an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023.

Matthews, one of four surviving players of England’s 2014 Rugby World Cup-winning team in England’s Six Nations squad, alongside Natasha Hunt, Emily Scarratt and Marlie Packer, will be chomping at the bit to make an impact after watching Maddie Feaunati stake her claim in the No 8 position with a couple of barnstorming performances.

There is no room in the match-day 23 for two of Matthews’s 2014 comrades, Packer and Scarratt, in a telling reminder that the pair have slipped down the pecking order.

Ireland have made three changes to the team that beat Italy. Brittany Hogan comes into the back row with Edel McMahon injured while Dorothy Wall is recalled to the second row and Emily Lane starts at scrum-half. Wing Amee-Leigh Costigan will captain the side in McMahon’s absence.

Ireland (v England, Saturday 4..45pm): Stacey Flood (Railway Union); Anna McGann (Railway Union), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere), Eve Higgins (Railway Union), Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union, captain); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere), Emily Lane (Blackrock College); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere), Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere), Erin King (Old Belvedere), Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College).

Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs), Siobhan McCarthy (Railway Union), Christy Haney (Blackrock College), Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere), Grace Moore (Ealing Trailfinders), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College), Nicole Fowley (Galwegians), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow).

England: Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins); Abby Dow (Ealing Trailfinders), Megan Jones (Leicester Tigers), Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury), Jess Breach (Saracens); Zoe Harrison (Saracens), Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury); Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears), Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears), Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury), Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks), Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears), Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, captain), Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning), Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury).

Replacements: Amy Cokayne (Leicester Tigers), Kelsey Clifford (Saracens), Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears), Rosie Galligan (Saracens), Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs), Lucy Packer (Harlequins), Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears), Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning).