England vs Australia: Red Roses hand Ella Wyrwas first start for WXV tournament opener in New Zealand

Ella Wyrwas will make her first start for England when the Red Roses take on Australia in the opening match of the inaugural WXV1 tournament on Friday. 

Wyrwas, who featured three times as replacement in the 2023 TikTok Women's Six Nations, will start from scrum-half as England look to make a winning start in the new three-tier annual women's international competition.

A new centre partnership will be on display as Tatyana Heard and Megan Jones combine in the midfield for the first time. Helena Rowland starts at full-back while wings Abby Dow and Jess Breach are also in the back three. Holly Aitchison continues at fly-half in the Red Roses backline.

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In the forwards, props Hannah Botterman and Maud Muir retain their positions, with Connie Powell at hooker.

Number 8 Alex Matthews returns to the side for the first time since helping the Red Roses to the Grand Slam in April. She joins captain Marlie Packer and Maisy Allen in the back row. Locks Rosie Galligan and Zoe Aldcroft link-up to complete the pack.

Among the replacements, Daisy Hibbert-Jones is set for her first England cap.

Red Roses head coach Louis Deacon said:"We have had a fantastic 10 days of bonding as a group on and off the field, and we are now relishing our first WXV match under the lights in Wellington on Friday.

"Preparation has been positive; the players are excited about the special opportunities that await them over the next few weeks. They have worked so hard as a collective over the past couple of months and they are determined to put their work on the field as we kick off our WXV campaign.

"We want to deliver a performance that shows progression and growth and want to get off to the best possible start in the competition. Facing an Australian side we don't come up against too often only adds to the excitement."

Red Roses line-up: 15. Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning), 14. Abby Dow (Trailfinders Women), 13. Megan Jones (Leicester Tigers), 12. Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury), 11. Jess Breach (Saracens), 10. Holly Aitchison, 9. Ella Wyrwas (Saracens)

1. Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears), 2. Connie Powell (Harlequins), 3. Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury), 4. Rosie Galligan (Saracens), 5. Zoe Aldcroft - vice-captain (Gloucester-Hartpury), 6. Maisy Allen (Exeter Chiefs), 7. Marlie Packer - captain (Saracens), 8. Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury)

Replacements - 16. Lark Atkin-Davies (Bristol Bears), 17. Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury), 18. Kelsey Clifford (Saracens), 19. Sarah Beckett (Gloucester-Hartpury), 20. Daisy Hibbert-Jones (Loughborough Lightning), 21. Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury), 22. Sophie Bridger (Saracens), 23. Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury)

What is the WXV tournament?

World Rugby has launched a new three-tier annual women's international competition, WXV, with all home nations in action from Friday October 13. Each tier has six teams and is played as a stand alone tournament in a different location, with WXV 1 in New Zealand, WXV 2 in South Africa, and WXV 3 in Dubai.

WXV 1: Australia, Canada, England, France, New Zealand, Wales.

WXV 2: Italy, Japan, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, USA.

WXV 3: Colombia, Fiji, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Spain.

It's a cross-pool format, meaning teams don't play everyone in their tier, instead taking on three nations from outside their continent (with the exception of Ireland vs Spain).

There will be no relegation from WXV 1 for the first two years, but the sixth-placed team from WXV 2 will be relegated to WXV 3 and replaced by the winner of the third tier. The bottom-placed team from WXV 3 will be at risk of leaving the competition and face a play-off with the next best side according to the World Rugby Women's Rankings.