Marlie Packer insists there will be nothing friendly about England’s clash with New Zealand at Allianz Stadium.
The Red Roses will host the Black Ferns at the home of English rugby in Twickenham for the first time since 2012 as part of a warm-up for October’s WXV competition in Canada.
It is part of a wider 12-month approach for Packer’s side ahead of the 2025 Rugby World Cup, which will culminate in the final at Allianz Stadium.
It means every Test minute counts for the Red Roses in their preparation, and captain Packer revealed England will be out for victory with their new attacking style when the sides meet on 14 September.
“We want to go and put a brand of rugby out there which is exciting, not just the forward set-piece dominance that the Red Roses have had for a very long time,” she said.
“We want to be able to attack from every area on the pitch and if plan a or plan b isn’t working, plan c can come into play.
“We have got a good run of games now to be able to do that. Two friendlies before WXV, France at Kingsholm before the big one, New Zealand at Allianz Stadium which is going to be super exciting. World number one versus the current world champions. To play here, the home of England rugby at Allianz Stadium, it’s going to be a great spectacle of a game.
“It is very exciting to play these days, it is not going to be a friendly. We need to make sure we go out there and execute our game plan. It is not going to be perfect, the start of the Six Nations wasn’t perfect, but if we want to try new things in the way we want to play, we have to try it in the 80 minutes. Then we will do our analysis, watch back and then be ready for the next game.”
That new style yielded a first Six Nations title under new head coach John Mitchell, something Packer said has only continued since then.
The 34-year-old is one of the stalwarts of the current squad, one of just four remaining members of the victorious 2014 World Cup team, but has continued to learn under Mitchell’s guidance.
She added: “You definitely got a snippet of our style of play in the Six Nations. It will definitely be very exciting. We want to be on the front foot, both in attack and defence, a really fast high tempo game is what we are going after.”
“Personally as a player I want to cement my position and make sure I am doing the best for the team, whatever that is for what the coaching staff want and what the team’s needs are.
“I have been playing rugby for a long time now and defence is something I have always really enjoyed but just a couple of tweaks here and there massively changes your technique and hopefully we will be a lot more effective in that area.”
The two warm-up matches will kick off a big year for women’s rugby in England, culminating in the World Cup final that England so desperately hope to be a part of following heartbreak at the same stage in 2022.
But amidst all the upcoming fervour, Packer is also determined to make sure her players enjoy the occasions such as playing New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, in the knowledge they do not come around every day.
“Sometimes people put so much pressure on ourselves as a high-performing team and we expect so much of ourselves as athletes that we forget to enjoy it,” she said.
“You don’t often get to play at the heart of these big Test matches, especially here at Allianz. Stadium.
“We have got this really special launchpad; to have a home World Cup, like the Euros in women’s football, it’s not just about what we can do for women’s rugby, but also what we can do for women’s sport.
“All eyes will be on us and it is about us making sure we can maximise it in every way we can.
“With that, we have got to make sure we enjoy it along the way. When we are performing at our best, it is when we are enjoying it and making memories all together.”
Allianz recently pledged a long-term commitment to rugby through a multi-year partnership with the Rugby Football Union. See the Red Roses take on the Black Ferns at the newly named Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on the 14 September. Head to //EnglandRugby.com/Tickets to secure your tickets!
