England have recalled Maddie Feaunati at number eight and reshaped their front row for Saturday’s WXV Global Series meeting with New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, as the Red Roses respond to the draw with Canada that stopped their 39-match winning run.
Feaunati’s return moves vice-captain Alex Matthews to blindside flanker, while Abi Burton drops to the replacements. Mackenzie Carson and Sarah Bern come into the starting front row alongside hooker Bryony Field, who retains her place for her second start.
England have been unbeaten in 53 home matches since their 2016 defeat by New Zealand and have won their past 13 at Allianz Stadium. More than 50,000 supporters are expected for the 34th meeting between the Red Roses and Black Ferns, according to Sky Sports.
Feaunati return changes England’s balance
John Mitchell has made the most substantial adjustments in the pack after England were held 26-26 by Canada at Sandy Park last weekend. That result ended a sequence of 39 successive Red Roses victories, but it did not end their formidable record on home soil.
England have not lost at home since New Zealand won 25-20 at Twickenham Stoop in November 2016, a run now standing at 53 matches. They have also won each of their past 13 fixtures at Allianz Stadium, Sky Sports reported.
Feaunati joins Matthews and Sadia Kabeya in the back row, with Morwenna Talling and Lilli Ives Campion continuing in the second row. Burton is joined on the bench by Hannah Botterman and Maud Muir, giving Mitchell options to alter his forward resources during the match.
Field remains ahead of May Campbell at hooker. BBC Sport reported that Amy Cokayne and Connie Powell are unavailable through injury, while Lark Atkin Davies has recently given birth. Field’s retention therefore comes within a changed selection picture at hooker as well as the wider front-row revisions.
Mitchell said England were progressing while developing cover across the squad. He assessed New Zealand as a side playing good rugby and said Tests against leading opponents were the matches England most wanted, particularly at Allianz Stadium. His selection suggests the staff are seeking both continuity and further evidence of the group’s depth after the Canada result.
Unchanged backs face an in-form Black Ferns side
England’s backline is unchanged from the side that began against Canada. Lucy Packer and Zoe Harrison continue at half-back, while captain Megan Jones again partners Helena Rowland in midfield.
Ellie Kildunne, Jess Breach and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald make up the back three. Moloney-MacDonald retained her wing place after scoring two tries against Canada, Sky Sports reported. Natasha Hunt and Tatyana Heard return among the replacements, while Emma Sing is in line for her first WXV Global Series appearance.
New Zealand provide a high-level test, having won all seven of their Tests in 2026. New Zealand beat England at Twickenham Stoop in November 2016, England’s last home defeat. They also beat England in the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup final. England have won the three meetings since that final, however, most recently by 49-31 in October 2024, according to BBC Sport.
That recent England record sits alongside a strong run for New Zealand. The Black Ferns have won all seven of their Tests in 2026 under head coach Whitney Hansen, while Sky Sports said they have lost only one of 17 matches since the start of 2025.
Hansen has selected wing Ayesha Leti-I’iga and full-back Braxton Sorensen-McGee. BBC Sport noted that Leti-I’iga scored twice in New Zealand’s 2022 World Cup final victory over England, while Sorensen-McGee was among the standout players at the 2025 tournament.
New Zealand have also recalled loose forward Kaipo Olsen-Baker, wing Leti-I’iga and lock Laura Bayfield following their 66-14 win over Scotland last week, according to Sky Sports. Their selected side therefore arrives with experience from a squad that has maintained its winning run through 2026.
Georgian Ponsonby captains a New Zealand front row that also includes Chryss Viliko and Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu, while Maiakawanakaulani Roos joins Bayfield in the second row. Liana Mikaele-Tu’u and Elinor-Plum King complete the Black Ferns’ starting pack alongside Olsen-Baker. Behind them, Hannah King and Maia Joseph are selected at half-back, with Mererangi Paul, Logo-I-Pulotu Brunt and Amy Du Plessis joining Leti-I’iga and Sorensen-McGee in the backline. The named combination underlines the scale of the selection test for England’s revised pack, although the unchanged Red Roses backs provide continuity from the Canada match.
Hansen said her team had continued to improve week by week and were looking forward to testing their rugby identity against England. With England protecting a long home unbeaten run and New Zealand arriving with seven consecutive Test wins this year, Saturday’s selection decisions will be tested against opponents in strong current form.