Aldcroft Could Tackle France This Weekend

Northumbria University favourite Zoe Aldcroft could make her Six Nations bow against France tomorrow after bagging a place on the England bench.

The former sports scholar and TASS athlete made her mark during England’s tour of the US last summer.

And after taking a break from her studies to focus on rugby full time, the second-year student looks set to continue her remarkable rise.

The Red Roses get their Six Nations campaign underway immediately after the men at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 4, kicking off at 7.35pm live on Sky Sports Mix.

“With 994 international caps between them, this is a strong England squad with a wealth of experience," said head coach Simon Middleton.

“Preparation has been good, having had 10 days training as a group already. We feel ready to take on France, a side we know well. The Six Nations is an exciting and competitive tournament and we look forward to getting the campaign underway in front of a home crowd at Twickenham.”

The two sides have faced each other twice since last year’s Six Nations, which was won by France following a championship decider in Vannes. 

A last-gasp try in the Women's Rugby Super Series allowed England to exact revenge on their Six Nations loss in Salt Lake City last summer, winning 17-13. They followed that up with a 10-5 victory at the Twickenham Stoop in the opening game of the Old Mutual Wealth Series in November.

England match-day 23 against France:

15 Danielle Waterman (Bristol, 64 caps), 14 Lydia Thompson (Worcester Valkyries, 27 caps), 13 Emily Scarratt (Lichfield, 61 caps), 12 Amber Reed (Bristol, 32 caps), 11 Amy Wilson Hardy (Bristol, 3 caps), 10 Katy Mclean (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, 80 caps), 9 Natasha Hunt (Lichfield, 33 caps), 1 Rochelle Clark (Worcester Valkyries, 117 caps), 2 Amy Cokayne (Lichfield, 20 caps), 3 Laura Keates (Worcester Valkyries, 56 caps), 4 Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, 98 caps), 5 Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield, 38 caps), 6 Izzy Noel-Smith (Bristol, 24 caps), 7 Marlie Packer (Bristol, 40 caps), 8 Sarah Hunter (Bristol, 85 caps) (captain).

Replacements: 16 Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens, 54 caps), 17 Justine Lucas (Lichfield, 14 caps), 18 Sarah Bern (Bristol, 4 caps), 19 Zoe Aldcroft (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, 2 caps), 20 Poppy Cleall (Bristol, 7 caps), 21 La Toya Mason (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks, 59 caps), 22 Emily Scott (Saracens, 16 caps), 23 Rachael Burford (Aylesford Bulls, 60 caps).