Red Roses Face New Injury Setbacks Before Murrayfield Match Against Scotland
England’s Red Roses have been hit by fresh injury setbacks ahead of their Round Two trip to Murrayfield. The squad faces major selection problems before the Scotland match.
Who is out and why it matters
Front-row players Hannah Botterman and May Campbell have been ruled out of the tournament. Botterman requires a second operation on an ankle injury she sustained playing for Bristol Bears in December.
Saracens’ May Campbell is scheduled for knee surgery next week. Long-term recovery timelines have removed both from immediate selection.
- Alex Matthews — 82 caps, two-time World Cup winner. She is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
- Morwenna Talling — suffered a long-term injury against Ireland and remains unavailable.
- Zoe Stratford, Abbie Ward, Rosie Galligan — all senior locks who announced pregnancies ahead of the competition.
The Red Roses face new injury setbacks before Murrayfield, leaving John Mitchell with few specialist locks. He may need to reshuffle the pack for Edinburgh.
Coach response and tactical adjustments
Mitchell admitted the squad has lost multiple international locks. He said they may have to deploy back-row players at lock.
With only uncapped options available, Mitchell stressed adaptability. He insisted the team will develop replacements and adjust their game plan.
Squad reinforcements
Bristol Bears lock Delaney Burns and Saracens prop Liz Crake were added as injury cover. Burns has three England caps, all earned in the 2023 Six Nations.
Crake has two caps for England and has scored three tries for her club in this Premiership Women’s Rugby season. Both join the squad ahead of the Murrayfield fixture.
England travel to Edinburgh this weekend to face Scotland. Selection decisions will reflect the depleted forward options. Filmogaz.com will monitor further developments.
