Sarah Hunter to skipper England in Super Series in Canada

Sarah Hunter will lead a 28-strong squad into this month's Rugby Super Series in Canada where England will play the USA, New Zealand and Canada.

The World Cup winner returns to play in her first tournament since helping England to glory in Paris last August.

Hunter has been sidelined by a knee injury since the beginning of the year and the 29-year-old will skipper England in the absence of the injured Katy McLean, who captained England during the Six Nations.

Emily Scarratt also returns to XVs rugby for the first time this season following her involvement in England’s Sevens Olympic qualification campaign. Scarratt has been named as vice-captain and the 25-year-old is joined in the squad by fellow-World Cup winners Marlie Packer and Heather Fisher.

England also travel to Canada with uncapped players Megan Jones and Lark Davies in their ranks.

Head coach Simon Middleton said: “This is a really exciting squad and we are really looking forward to developing as a team, and playing against some stellar opposition.

“We have brought back some experienced names in Sarah Hunter, Heather Fisher and Marlie Packer. They will bolster our already strong back row options with Hannah Gallagher and Alex Matthews doing a great job during the Six Nations.

'Confidence'

“Emily will also be vital both on and off the field. She is a world class player and can offer so much experience to our younger squad members.

“We have our sights set on the 2017 Rugby World Cup so I am really excited to see how players like Lark Davies and Megan Jones fair on this tour as this is their opportunity to step up.

"Players like Bianca Blackburn, Abbie Brown and Amy Cokayne also showed their potential during the Six Nations. By nurturing this talent now, we will bolster the depth in our squad which is really exciting for the future.

“The most important things for us in Canada is our performance and developing that winning mentality. With this new squad, we are working hard to develop the style of play we want to play, and finding out as much as we can about each other. I have confidence in this squad and I know that if we get the performance right, the results will come.”

England play USA on June 27 in Calgary before taking on fierce rivals New Zealand on July 1 in Red Deer. England then take on Rugby World Cup runners-up Canada in the tournament finale on July 5 in Edmonton.

England summer tour squad: Bianca Blackburn, Abbie Brown, Rowena Burnfield, Rochelle Clark, Amy Cokayne, Victoria Cornborough, Lark Davies, Heather Fisher, Vicky Fleetwood, Hannah Gallagher, Sarah Hunter (captain), Megan Jones, Laura Keates, Ceri Large, Justine Lucas, Katie Mason, Alexandra Matthews, Sarah McKenna, Marlie Packer, Fiona Pocock, Amber Reed, Leanne Riley, Emily Scarratt (vice-captain), Abbie Scott, Emily Scott, Tamara Taylor, Lydia Thompson, Kay Wilson.