Red Roses name squad for Italy opener - Lilli Ives Campion and Mia Venner to make their full England debuts

Lilli Ives Campion and Mia Venner will make their full Red Roses debuts when John Mitchell’s side take on Italy at a sold-out LNER Community Stadium, York on Sunday in the opening round of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

Loughborough Lightning lock Ives Campion, a product of the England pathway, earned her first cap in the WXV warm-up victory over France while Gloucester-Hartpury wing Venner’s maiden international came as a 17-year-old in 2020.

Claudia MacDonald of Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester-Hartpury’s PWR top points scorer Emma Sing join Venner in the back three with both last appearing in an England shirt 16 months ago.

Harlequins scrum-half Lucy Packer and Loughborough Lightning’s Helena Rowland make up the half-backs, and Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears) and Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning) form a centre partnership.

Ives Campion is joined in the second row by Rosie Galligan (Saracens). Kelsey Clifford (Saracens) and Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury) sandwich Amy Cokayne (Leicester Tigers) in the front row.

Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury) will lead the side from blindside flanker in a back row containing vice captain Marlie Packer (Saracens) and Exeter Chief Maddie Feaunati.

On the bench, Flo Robinson (Exeter Chiefs) and Jade Shekells (Gloucester-Hartpury) are in line for their first Red Roses caps.

Red Roses team to play Italy   15 Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury, 6 caps)  14 Mia Venner (Gloucester-Hartpury, 1 cap)  13 Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning, 116 caps) 12 Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears, 35 caps)  11 Claudia MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs, 32 caps)  10 Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 34 caps)  9 Lucy Packer (Harlequins, 26 caps)  1 Kelsey Clifford (Saracens, 9 caps)  2 Amy Cokayne (Leicester Tigers, 79 caps)  3 Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury, 35 caps)  4 Rosie Galligan (Saracens, 19 caps) 5 Lilli Ives Campion (Loughborough Lightning, 1 cap)  6 Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury, 58 caps) - captain 7 Marlie Packer (Saracens, 108 caps) 8 Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs, 10 caps)    Replacements   16 May Campbell (Saracens, 1 cap)  17 Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears, 51 caps)  18 Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears, 66 caps)  19 Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears, 69 caps) 20 Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning, 18 caps) 21 Flo Robinson (Exeter Chiefs, uncapped)  22 Jade Shekells (Gloucester-Hartpury, uncapped)  23 Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins, 48 caps)