Ellie Kildunne Benched as England Red Roses Make Changes After Canada Loss

England coach John Mitchell has moved star full-back Ellie Kildunne to the bench, stating she needs to improve her consistency. This decision follows the Red Roses' 24-21 loss to Canada, which ended their 41-match unbeaten run.

"She definitely brings a lot of value," Mitchell said of the 27-year-old. "She's going through a tough period, and we need to support her through it. She wants to be consistent, and she will get back there. We must reinforce the behaviors crucial to our game, and that applies to everyone."

Emma Sing takes the full-back position for Saturday's rematch against Canada in Ottawa. Tatyana Heard and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, who started in the previous match, are out of the matchday squad entirely. Helena Rowland and Mia Venner will play at inside centre and wing, replacing Heard and Moloney-MacDonald respectively.

Sadia Kabeya starts at flanker, coming back from a leg injury. Alex Matthews, a two-time Rugby World Cup winner, moves to the bench. Flo Robinson and Hollie Aitchison, from Exeter and Sale, are named as half-back replacements on the bench.

Sing, a strong runner and kicker, played full-back twice during England's Six Nations campaign, with Kildunne on the wing for those games. Sing's Gloucester-Hartpury teammate Venner, who debuted for England at 17, has four other caps. She had been pushing for a starting spot earlier this year, appearing in wins against Scotland and Italy. Venner finished last season as the joint top try-scorer in the PWR with 12 tries.

Moloney-MacDonald was responsible for a conceded try early in the Canada match when she dropped the ball over the line in the sixth minute after a good pick-up of Jess Breach's pass.

"Last Friday, we lost focus on what we could control when it mattered most. That's on us to fix," Mitchell added. "This week is about rediscovering who we are – hungry, accountable to each other, and demanding more from ourselves than anyone outside this group ever could. We've had a strong period, but nothing is guaranteed going forward. Friday is a chance to apply sustained pressure, learn from our mistakes, and emerge stronger."

England: Sing; Breach, Jones, Rowland, Venner; Harrison, Packer; Botterman, Cokayne, Bern, Talling, Ives Campion, Burton, Kabeya, Feaunati

Replacements: Field, Carson, Muir, Short, Matthews, Robinson, Aitchison, Kildunne