Women’s preview – 10 April, 2021 jon Women’s preview – 10 April, 2021 WOMEN’S INTERNATIONALS – 10 APRIL, 2021 WORLD RUGBY WOMEN’S RANKINGS STATS • England cannot improve their rating with victory due to the 16.39 rating points separating the teams before home weighting is factored in for Italy • The Red Roses will lose the number one ranking if they fail to beat Italy • Italy will climb two places to fifth if they avoid defeat – equalling their highest position last occupied in October 2020 • Wales will climb above Ireland into seventh with victory in Cardiff • Ireland cannot improve their position with victory as they would still trail a beaten Italy by 1.49 rating points • Defeat will see Wales fall one place to 10th – equalling their lowest-ever ranking last held in August 2017 – with Spain the beneficiaries ITALY (7) 77.91 v ENGLAND (1) 94.30 Italy win by 15 points or less – Italy 79.91, England 92.30 Italy win by more than 15 points – Italy 80.91 England 91.30 Draw – Italy 78.91, England 93.30 England win by 15 points or less – Italy 77.91, England 94.30 (No change) England win by more than 15 points – Italy 77.91, England 94.30 (No change) WALES (9) 73.33 v IRELAND (8) 74.68 Wales win by 15 points or less – Wales 74.17, Ireland 73.85 Wales win by more than 15 points – Wales 74.58, Ireland 73.43 Draw – Wales 73.17, Ireland 74.85 Ireland win by 15 points or less – Wales 72.17, Ireland 75.85 Ireland win by more than 15 points – Wales 71.58, Ireland 76.43 The World Rugby Women’s Rankings update every Monday at 12:00 UK time. 1 Women’s preview – 10 April, 2021 WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS 2021 ITALY v ENGLAND – STADIO SERGIO LANFRANCHI, PARMA – KO 15:00 (13:00 BST) Head to head Played: 20 – England leads 20-0 Points for: Italy 122 / England 933 (avg. score: England 46-6 Italy) Highest score: Italy 24 (24-33 on 13 February, 2016) / England 76 (76-6 on 9 February, 2008) Biggest winning margin: England 70 (76-6 on 9 February, 2008) First met: 8 April, 1991 – RWC 1991 – England 25-9 Italy – Dairy Field, Llanharan, Wales Last met: 1 November, 2020 – England 54-0 Italy – Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma Referee: Aurélie Groizeleau (France) • Aurélie Groizeleau refereed England’s 52-10 defeat of Scotland last weekend • Groizeleau made her Women’s Six Nations debut as referee with England v Italy in 2019 and also refereed the 2020 meeting in Parma • Italy have failed to score a point against England in these two matches refereed by Groizeleau, losing 55-0 in 2019 and 54-0 in 2020 • Earlier this week marked the 30th anniversary of their first meeting, at RWC 1991 • England have won all 20 previous meetings with Italy • The smallest margin of victory has been nine points (33-24 in Ivrea in 2016), the biggest 70 points (76-6 in Rome in 2008) • England completed a second successive Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam with a 54-0 victory in Italy last November with eight players scoring tries • That match was also played at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma • Italy have won one and lost two of their three matches played at the venue, beating Ireland 29-27 in 2019 and also losing to France in 2017 • Italy will play their 70th Women’s Six Nations match this weekend, England played their 100th seven days ago • England are looking for a 12th test victory in a row, having last tasted defeat against New Zealand (28-13) in July 2019 • England have won their last 12 Women’s Six Nations matches since losing 18-17 to France in March 2018 • The Red Roses have won 42 of their last 46 tests, losing only to New Zealand (2016, 2017 and 2019) and France (2018) in that time • England have won their last five away Women’s Six Nations matches, scoring more than 50 points on four occasions • England have not conceded a point in their last two Women’s Six Nations away matches, beating Italy 54-0 and Wales 53-0 in 2020 • Italy have lost their last three Women’s Six Nations matches, against England, Ireland and France • The Azzurre’s last home victory was 31-12 against France in March 2019, the last of a six- match unbeaten run on Italian soil with five wins and a draw • Italy have made five personnel and two positional changes from their last outing with England in November, three in the pack and two in the backline while Manuela Furlan and Maria Magatti move to wing and inside centre respectively • Prop Erika Skofca, hooker Lucia Cammarano and flanker Ilaria Arrighetti come into the pack, while winger Aura Muzzo and full-back Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi will also start • Italy captain Manuela Furlan starts on the wing in a test for the first time since February 2012 after being selected at full-back for her last 52 matches • Scrum-half and former captain Sara Barattin will win her 96th cap, the most in the squad • Prop Gaia Maris and Alyssa D’Inca’ will make their debuts if called upon from the bench 2 Women’s preview – 10 April, 2021 • England coach Simon Middleton has made eight personnel and two positional changes from the side that beat Scotland with centre Emily Scarratt, half-backs Leanne Riley and Helena Rowland, prop Vickii Cornborough and second-row Cath O’Donnell starting in the same jerseys • Jess Breach switches to the right wing with Abby Dow filling the vacated left-wing spot, while Zoe Aldcroft moves from the back-row to partner O’Donnell in the second-row • Sarah Hunter returns to captain the side in what will be her 124th cap, having last played against Wales in March 2020 • Replacement prop Hannah Botterman’s last outing for England was also that victory over Wales, when she scored a try • Megan Jones will start her first match for England since the RWC 2017 final loss to New Zealand, having concentrated on sevens since then • Ellie Kildunne has scored a try in her two previous meetings with Italy, in 2018 and 2020 • Breach has a record of three tries in as many games against Italy amid her tally of 25 tries in 16 tests • Harriet Millar-Mills could win her 60th cap for England if called upon from the bench • Italy’s backline has more caps than England’s with 297 to 192, but the Red Roses’ pack is the more experienced with 409 to Italy’s 241 3 Women’s preview – 10 April, 2021 WALES v IRELAND – CARDIFF ARMS PARK, CARDIFF – KO 17:00 BST Head to head Played: 27 – Wales leads 16-11 Points for: Wales 370 / Ireland 363 (avg. score: Wales 13-13 Ireland) Highest score: Wales 32 (32-5 on 26 January, 1997) / Ireland 36 (36-0 on 3 March, 2012) Biggest winning margin: Wales 27 (32-5 on 26 January, 1997) / Ireland 36 (36-0 on 3 March, 2012) First met: 3 March, 1996 – Ireland 22-6 Wales – Anglesea Road, Dublin Last met: 9 February, 2020 – Ireland 31-12 Wales – Energia Park, Donnybrook, Dublin Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland) • Hollie Davidson made her Women’s Six Nations debut as a referee with the Wales v Ireland match in 2019 • Davidson has not refereed Wales since, but took charge of Ireland’s 27-0 defeat to England in the 2020 Championship • Ireland last played on 24 October when they beat Italy 21-7 in the rearranged Women’s Six Nations 2020 match • Wales were beaten 53-0 by France in the opening round last weekend, a match that saw them miss 36 tackles • Wales will become the third team to play 100 Women’s Six Nations matches, after England and France last weekend • Wales won 24-5 when the sides last met on Welsh soil in Cardiff in March 2019 • Wales won 13 of their first 16 meetings with Ireland but have only managed three victories in 11 meetings since – in 2017 and twice in 2019 • Ireland have lost their last three Women’s Six Nations away matches – against Italy, Wales and England. Their last away win was 22-5 v Scotland in February 2019 • They have never lost four consecutive away matches since Italy replaced Spain in 2007, but did lose five in a row from 2003-05 • Wales’ last home match was a 50-0 loss to France – the last Welsh player to score at home was Kelsey Jones with her late try in defeat against Italy on 2 February, 2020 • Wales have made four changes from the side beaten by France, three in the forwards with props Cara Hope and Cerys Hale and second-row Natalia John coming in • In the backline, Courtney Keight replaces Jasmine Joyce who is away training with the GB Sevens squad • Full-back Robyn Wilkins will win her 50th cap for Wales, having made her debut aged 18 against Italy in 2014 • Replacement Niamh Terry could make her first Wales appearance since November 2019, while Caitlin Lewis and hooker Molly Kelly last played against England in March 2020 • Caitlin Lewis in the only player in the Wales squad not playing her club rugby in the Allianz Premier 15s in England, being with Cardiff Met • Ireland sevens player Eve Higgins will make her test debut at centre. Higgins has played 16 tournaments on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, including five in the 2020 series • Fellow sevens players Stacey Flood and Emily Lane could join her as debutants if called upon from the bench • Stacey Flood is bidding to join her older sister Kim in playing test rugby for Ireland • Fly-half Hannah Tyrrell and replacement Brittany Horgan also played on the 2020 series • Prop Lindsay Peat is the oldest try-scorer in Women’s Six Nations history, having crossed in Ireland’s last outing against Italy in October, two weeks shy of her 40th birthday to break Claire Flowers’ previous record for Wales in 2012 • Aoife McDermott is the only change to the pack from Ireland’s last outing against Italy, having returned from injury to make her first appearance since February 2020’s loss to England 4 Women’s preview – 10 April, 2021 • Eimear Considine and Higgins are the backline changes from the Italy match, although Laura Delany will wear the #14 jersey rather than #15 this weekend • Teenager Béibhinn Parsons was named the Rugby Writers of Ireland Women’s Player of the Year in 2020 and has scored tries in two of her three meetings with Wales to date 5 .