World news – CAF – England is unlikely to face women world champions New Zealand ahead of the 2021 Rugby World Cup

With much of Europe still in the grip of the Coronavirus, coach Simon Middleton said it would be virtually impossible for England to travel

Simon Middleton, the England women’s national team coach, admitted that it would not be « logistically feasible » for his team to face world champion New Zealand in a pre-tournament match before next year’s World Cup.. .

Middleton jumped at the Black Ferns to become the number 1 team in the world last week after an impressive 33-10 victory over France in Grenoble to extend their winning streak over Les Blue to six games in a row.. .

With semi-professional France now failing to score a victory over England since the start of 2018, next year’s World Cup in New Zealand – the first in the Southern Hemisphere – is likely to end in a race between two horses. Red roses and black ferns.

Last month, the England Netball team was placed in a two-week quarantine in New Zealand – which has recorded only 25 deaths from Covid and where virus case numbers remain extremely low – before Silver Ferns played in a series of three tests..

But as a second wave of coronavirus continues in Europe, Middleton insists it will be virtually impossible for England to follow in the footsteps of their netball counterparts before the rugby event.. .

« I don’t think it will be logistically feasible for us now, » Middleton said.. “We had it all with the internationals in the fall – we should have been in Australia and New Zealand by now. Unfortunately, this was not possible. It was a huge effort to continue these games, and we have started.

“We hope everyone enjoys it as well as we do. I think it may be too late now, and I don’t think it will be logistically feasible.

“We went to New Zealand before the 2017 World Cup and even though it was a great occasion and we had a great win, how much help did you give us?. Not as much as New Zealand helped I don’t think so. It works the other way, if we didn’t see them, they wouldn’t see us either.

England will face France in the friendly return leg on Saturday at Twickenham, where it will again be without Captain Sarah Hunter, who has had a nervous problem affecting the fist in her hand..

Young Harlequins player Lagi Tuima will start in an outside position and Emily Skaratt will have a rare start on the bench, with Middleton admitting that he does not want his team to rely excessively on the world’s best player of the year. He added, « We realize that Scaz [Scarratt] can be as much a source of strength as a threat to us. ».

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Rugby Union, Rugby World Cup 2021, 2021, England Women’s Soccer Team