England leave Ellie Kildunne on the bench for Canada match — BBC Sport

England's rugby team have left full-back Ellie Kildunne on the bench for the return match against Canada, to be played in Ottawa, Canada. Emma Sing will replace her at full-back in the starting line-up, BBC Sport reports.

The changes came in response to England's 21-24 defeat to Canada in Toronto last Friday. It ended the Red Roses' run of 41 matches without defeat and was also the team's first loss in four years. Despite the result, Kildunne made 149 metres in that game — the most among England players — made two breaks and beat six opponents.

Four changes to the starting line-up

Head coach John Mitchell has made four changes to the starting line-up. Helena Rowland will play at inside centre instead of Tatyana Heard, while Mia Venner will replace Claudia Moloney-MacDonald on the wing. Both players who started the match in Toronto have not been included in the squad for the game in Ottawa.

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Sadia Kabeya, who returned from a leg injury last week and came on as a substitute, will start this time. Two-time world champion Alex Matthews will remain on the bench. Flo Robinson of Exeter and Holly Aitchison of Sale have also been included among the substitutes, forming the pair of replacement players in the half-back line.

Coach's statement

Mitchell said that in the previous game the team lost control of what it could influence at crucial moments. According to him, England must return to its hunger for victories, responsibility to one another and high standards for itself. The coach also stressed that the return meeting with Canada will be an opportunity to apply sustained pressure, learn from the mistakes of the previous match and become stronger.

The Canada-England match in the WXV Global Series will take place on Saturday at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa.