Delaney Burns looks to build on Red Roses comeback after three-year wait
Delaney Burns [left of centre] is set to start in the second-row against Italy in the Six Nations
©RFU Collection via Getty
When Delaney Burns earned her fourth cap for the Red Roses against Wales at Ashton Gate a couple of weeks ago, it felt like a huge full-circle moment in her career.
The match itself was a dominant 62-24 England victory in the Women’s Six Nations, but for Burns personally, it meant far more than just another appearance.
It was her first England cap in almost three years and comes during a period where the Red Roses are desperately short of experienced second-rows because of injuries and pregnancies across the squad.
"It was pretty incredible”, she begins telling TRU.
"Obviously, it's been a long time since my third cap [against Ireland]. It was just over three years to the day.
"It was not only really special to be able to go out and be in the white shirt again, but also then to do it effectively at home for me, as a Bristol player in front of a sold-out Ashton Gate, was really special.
"I also work for Bears [as a Community Rugby Officer] so seeing a lot of the kids that I then see on a regular basis was also quite incredible."
One of the main stories around the Red Roses this championship has been how injuries and pregnancies to senior players have forced younger squad members like Burns to take on much bigger responsibilities.
Some of the England players who are currently away from playing because of pregnancy have remained closely involved with the squad, helping support Delaney and the wider group during Six Nations camps.
One of the most notable absentees is Abbie Ward, who announced her pregnancy earlier this year. She’s become one of England’s most experienced locks and is a clubmate of Burns’.
"They [the senior players who are missing] have been great," Burns says.
"Abbie helped more so in my first Six Nations [in 2023], but that's only because I was so much younger and so much more inexperienced. That was my first year calling for Bears as well.
"Abbie was on holiday at the time and called me, gave up her time to then give me that opportunity to talk me through the lineout so that on the Monday I was ready to go.
"Deeks (Louis Deacon - Forwards Coach) just chucked me straight in and said, ‘Show me what you've learned!’
"I think I set the bar pretty high for myself. Since then, it's been an expectation that I know my stuff, which I do pride myself on.
"Every time they [the senior players] are in, they're so helpful. I think the biggest thing is that they're not overbearing. They're good with their delivery on tips. They’re just there to be helpful and not to bring you down, which is amazing.”
With Bristol Bears, Burns reached another major milestone recently as she exceeded 100 appearances for the club back in March during their match against Harlequins at the Principality Stadium.
For a 24-year-old, it is an impressive achievement, and shortly after reaching that landmark, she signed a new contract extension with Bristol, reinforcing her commitment to the club where her professional career began.
"It feels really good to have re-signed,” she says. "I’m in that kind of ‘one club’ mindset as it stands. We've got a good thing going at Bears.
"We had a bit of a tricky start to the season, but we're building quite nicely.
"Obviously, we’ve had new coaching staff, but we're building nicely now and we're finding our feet so hopefully, you know, we can get back into it [Bristol currently sit eighth] and win more."
Burns has also been able to share special moments during this year’s Six Nations with several of her Bristol teammates who have earned their first Red Roses caps.
Players such as Millie David and Demelza Short have broken into the England set-up after impressing consistently at club level, highlighting the strength of the Bears’ development pathway.
"It's been incredible. Obviously, they work really hard and they are really exceptional young talents.
"They really stand out. We’ve had a lot of Under-20s and Under-21’s in camp, and they've all been doing really well, but those two do really stand out and there’s an extra bit of pride with them being Bristol players as well."
After a fallow week in the Six Nations, the Red Roses return to action this weekend as they take on Italy.
Italy recorded an impressive 41-14 victory over Scotland a fortnight ago.
"With Italy, like they do, they will have that underdog mentality, but they will be very confident from their game against Scotland a couple of weeks ago," Burns says.
"They played very well, and obviously being at home, it's a condition change for us, so they'll be really attacking that.
"I just think they're going to do their best to leave it out there, so hats off to them, but our plan will be to end that as soon as the first whistle goes."
Burns has been named in England’s starting line-up for their trip to the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi alongside Abi Burton, the same lock combination that started against Wales.
Elsewhere, the Red Roses have made further changes to their back three for the fourth match in a row.
Emma Sing comes into the side at full-back, which sees Ellie Kildunne move out to the wing. Gloucester-Hartpury’s Mia Venner starts on the other wing, earning her third cap.
At fly-half, the rotation continues, with Zoe Harrison returning to the starting XV in place of Holly Aitchison.
There are also changes in the forward pack. Sadia Kabeya remains sidelined with shoulder and chest muscle injuries picked up in the win over Wales, while number eight Alex Matthews has been ruled out for the rest of the competition due to a shoulder problem.
With Kabeya out, Burns’ Bristol teammate Short - who made her debut in the second row against Scotland - moves into the starting lineup at blindside flanker.
In the front row, Kelsey Clifford and Maud Muir start at prop either side of Sale’s Amy Cokayne.
On the bench, 22-year-old Haidee Head is in contention to make her international debut.
England: Sing; Venner, Jones (c), Rowland, Kildunne; Harrison, L Packer; Clifford, Cokayne, Muir, Burton, Burns, Short, M Packer, Feaunati
Replacements: Powell, Carson, Bern, Lutui, Head, Robinson, Aitchison, Moloney-MacDonald
.jpg "England have lost Hannah Botterman and May Campbell for the rest of the Women’s Six Nations")
