Overview

• England confirmed captain Zoe Aldcroft will miss the rest of the pool stage with a knee injury, with Marlie Packer taking over the captaincy.
• Head coach John Mitchell made 13 changes for England’s Samoa match in Northampton as part of a planned rotation, with Helena Rowland and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald returning from injury.
• Canada head coach Kévin Rouet named six changes to face Wales, with Tyson Beukeboom set for her 80th cap after fullback Julia Schell’s six-try opener against Fiji.
• Australia face the United States in York in a matchup widely expected to influence who joins England in the quarterfinals, with coach Jo Yapp prioritizing the result over style.
• South Africa top Pool D after beating Brazil 66-6 and now meet eighth-ranked Italy in York, where a win is reported to likely secure a quarterfinal berth, as tournament ticket sales surpass 400,000.