Red Roses aim to stay grounded against Samoa

England are overwhelming favourites heading into their Women’s Rugby World Cup clash with Samoa at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday, but stand-in captain Marlie Packer insists her team will not take anything for granted.

The Red Roses are coming off a dominant 69-7 victory over the United States in Sunderland last week and will start with 13 new players in their line-up.

Despite the wholesale changes, the side enters the match on a 28-match winning streak and with 58 wins from their last 59 Tests.

Samoa, who suffered a 73-0 defeat to Australia in their opening match, face a daunting challenge against the world’s top-ranked side. England could even threaten their record World Cup winning margin of 82-0 against Kazakhstan in 2010 if they maintain their form.

Packer, who takes over the captaincy from the injured Zoe Aldcroft, said the focus remains on performance and discipline rather than the scoreboard.

“It’s making sure we stick to our processes, keep our feet on the ground. This group has been training together for a long time, and some players are eager to kick off their tournament this weekend,” she said.

Head coach John Mitchell echoed the message, emphasising respect for Samoa’s spirit and determination.

“Samoa are going to fight against us, and they played with heart against Australia. For them it’s about making their people proud.

"We’re not going to get bored of being consistent, and as much as we got the right result last week, we have standards to uphold,” he said.

Mitchell added that England’s biggest challenge may be maintaining patience in attack.

“We’re going to get space, and we’ll attack it, but we must be patient with our execution because we might get more space than usual,” he explained.