Rochelle Clark, England’s second-most capped player, scrums down for her country for the 97th time at The Stoop on Sunday, while those of a mathematical persuasion have calculated that the Worcester prop is set to earn her 100th cap when France turn up at Twickenham for the final weekend of the Women’s Six Nations, next month.
The world champions should be too strong for Italy this weekend but Clark and England are not counting their chickens. Last Sunday in Swansea, Wales defeated England 13-0 to throw this season’s competition wide open. At St Helen’s, England had only three starters from the side that started the World Cup final in Paris last summer and Wales defeated them for the second time. “Everyone raises their game against England and we knew the Six Nations was going to be tough,” said Clark, 33. “Wales were amazing and we were trying to gel with eight new caps.
“We have some experienced players returning this weekend but we know Italy will be tough. Last weekend’s experience has shown we can’t take any team for granted. We may not have thought it at the time but the Wales win is good for the profile of the women’s game.”
One of those experienced returning players is Katy Mclean, captain in the World Cup, vice-captain on Sunday, and one of the new professionals in the England setup. Most of those 20 new professionals were in Rio de Janeiro last Sunday for the second round of the World Sevens circuit and some warm-weather training. The absentees and the shock departure last month of Gary Street, the head coach since 2007, have brought England and Clark, awarded an MBE in the New Year’s honours list, back down to earth.
Clark, a rugby coach and personal trainer, is aware that the 100th cap is in the offing. “I know it could happen but I just have to take each game as it comes now,” she said. “I love playing for England and after winning the World Cup I woke up every morning with a smile on my face. When I won my first cap in the Churchill Cup in Canada back in 2003 I would never have imagined I could get this far. England took a bit of a gamble. I was a big girl then. The women’s game has changed beyond recognition in the last 12 years and so have the physiques of international players.”
Meanwhile, Clark’s Worcester club-mate Bianca Blackburn is to get a first start on Sunday at scrum-half after an impressive display off the bench in Swansea. “Bianca is part of a new generation of players coming through and having Katy outside her will help us play a wider game. We’ll certainly give it a go and look to win the Six Nations but obviously we have to rely on other sides slipping up,” Clark said.
Nicky Ponsford, who was working as the women’s head of performance at Twickenham, is the interim replacement for Street and she is certain England will rediscover last year’s form on Sunday. “Although we were hugely disappointed with the defeat against Wales there were positives but we need to be more clinical against the Italians,” she said. “We won’t be expecting anything different this weekend. Italy always keep going for the full 80 minutes. They work very hard and are very physical at the breakdown.”
England team to face Italy
K Wilson (Thurrock); R Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), A Brown (Bristol), C Large (Worcester), S Gregson (Bristol); K McLean (Darlington MPS), B Blackburn (Worcester); R Clark (Worcester), V Fleetwood (Saracens), L Keates (Worcester), T Taylor (capt), A Scott (both Darlington MPS), A Matthews (Richmond), H Gallagher (Saracens), H Millar-Mills (Waterloo). Replacements A Cokayne (Lichfield), V Cornborough (Richmond), J Lucas (Lichfield), R Burnfield, H Field (both Richmond), F Davidson (Darlington MPS), M Goddard (Worcester), S McKenna (Saracens).
