Harriet Mills to captain England U20s

The England Women’s Under 20s team to take on Canada in the opening round of the Nations Cup on Thursday, kick off 12am BST, in Santa Barbara, America has been announced.

Defending Nations Cup champions England will have Lichfield Number 8 Harriet Mills steering their ship as she wears the captaincy armband. The starting line-up also includes several players who helped England claim victories over Wales (32-19), Scotland (77-0) and France (12-5) this season.

England Head Coach Amanda Bennett said: “We have come here with the goal of winning the Nations Cup. In order to do this we need not only to win against Canada, but to make a clear statement of our intent. The players understand that and after a successful season so far, expectations are high.

“This team has great experience and includes three European Trophy winners so they will understand the pressure of performing through championships.  We are confident we've selected a team that can deliver a performance which will set the tone for our Nations Cup campaign.

“At the same time, however, there is no question of over confidence. This will be a new and extremely challenging environment for most of our players, just what they need if they are going learn and progress to senior rugby.

“Previous experience has shown that Canada will be physical, athletic and compete through the 80 minutes. This is exactly the kind of test England's under 20s will relish after the victories over France, Scotland and Wales earlier this year.”

Live math action from the Nations Cup is available on http://www.ustream.tv/usarugby.

England U20s v Canada U20s

15 Lucy Demaine (Bristol, Devon, South West)

14 Katie Mason(Bristol, Somerset, South West)

13 Amber Reed (Bristol, Somerset/Devon, South West)

12 Ceri Large (Worcester, Gloucestershire, South West)

11 Rebecca Hughes (Bristol, Somerset, South West)

10 Natasha Jones (Lichfield, Staffordshire, Midlands)

9 Charlotte Keane (Worcester, South West)

1 Emily Kingston (Gloucester, Gloucestershire, South West)

2 Geri Thomas (Old Albanian Saints, Hertfordshire, London & SE)

3 Sarah George (Bristol, Devon, South West)

4 Abbie Scott (Keswick, Cumbria,North)

5 Fiona Fletcher (Lichfield, Staffordshire, Midlands)

6 Alexandra Matthews (London Irish, Surrey, London & SE)

7 Hannah Gallagher (Saracens, Hertfordshire, London & South East)

8 Harriet Mills (Lichfield, Staffordshire, Midlands)

Replacements:

16 Charlotte Notman (Newquay Hornets (Queen Bees), Cornwall, South West)

17 Mica Evans (Exeter Saracens, Devon, South West)

18 Ellie Gatlin (Rochford Hundred, Essex, London & South East)

19 Poppy Cleall (Bristol, Hampshire, South West)

20 Fiona Davidson (Richmond, Surrey, London & South East)

21 Emily Scott (Thurrock, Essex, London & South East)

22 Rachel Roberts (Gloucester Reds, Gloucestershire, North)

England U20s Nations Cup playing schedule

England v Canada (July 14, KO 12am BST)

USA v England (July 17, KO 12am BST)

England v South Africa (July 20, KO 12am BST)

Consolation Finals/Finals (July 23, KO 10pm or 12am BST)