England’s Red Roses are preparing for the WXV Global Series with changes including smaller match balls and a demanding schedule of Tests against Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. Head coach John Mitchell says the team’s response will depend on coaching, while also using the competition to develop successors to experienced players ahead of future World Cups.

World Rugby’s new size 4.5 ball is about 3% smaller than a standard size five but weighs the same; its use has prompted criticism, although Mitchell says its effects will become clearer after England’s first home Tests. Mitchell has also become a UK citizen, while scrum-half Flo Robinson is being developed as a possible long-term replacement for 37-year-old Natasha Hunt, alongside continued reliance on senior players such as Marlie Packer.