Overview

• England ruled captain Zoe Aldcroft out for the rest of the pool phase with a knee injury, with Marlie Packer captaining after 13 changes for the Samoa match.
• Head coach John Mitchell confirmed a pre-planned rotation for England’s opening two games, with Helena Rowland and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald returning from injury.
• Australia kept injured skipper Siokapesi Palu sidelined for the USA fixture as Jo Yapp made four changes, retaining co-captains Kaitlan Leaney and Emily Chancellor to lead on field.
• Canada made six changes to face Wales, with Tyson Beukeboom set for her 80th cap to tie the national appearance record and Julia Schell retained at full-back after a six-try opener.
• South Africa lead Pool D after beating Brazil 66-6 and can seal a quarter-final spot by defeating Italy, while wins for Australia over the USA and England over Samoa would also secure progression for those teams.