Feaunati retains No 8 spot for Italy clash

Exeter Chiefs Women’s and Red Rose Maddie Feaunati will run out at No 8 for the third time this Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

Having started the tournament at blindside flanker, Feaunati has settled into the No 8 shirt; her usual position at club level.

Exeter Chiefs Women’s head coach Steve Salvin said: “It’s great to see Maddie playing at No 8 on a more consistent basis for England as she has for the majority of the season for Chiefs. It has allowed her to get on the ball more consistently and having the ball in her hands has given her a confidence in her all-round game. To see the quality of performance she has put in during the Six Nations has been fantastic to see from Maddie’s perspective and from Chiefs’ perspective.”

Assistant coach Oli Bishop said: “It’s been really pleasing that we have seen Maddie get multiple opportunities at No 8 in the Six Nations. At Chiefs, we have seen Maddie as a huge threat for us coming off the back of scrums and being utilised in generic play as a wide forward as one of our top ball carriers.

“It’s great to see her take this attacking threat into the Six Nations. She is sitting second in England for number of metres made, she is top for post-contact metres and, again, for defenders beaten, she is also second. We’re seeing that form she has in the PWR transfer onto the international stage.

“Maddie is a really explosive threat. She’s got a great carry game and a great distribution game, seeing her already set up Ellie Kildunne and others in those wide channels. Maddie being at No 8 gives her opportunity in the set-piece to show her power game too. The more she can get involved in the attacking framework of England is going to be hugely positive for them.”

She will be the only Exeter Chief to start Saturday’s game against Italy at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma (KO 14:00). Scrum-half Flo Robinson and winger Claudia Moloney-MacDonald will begin the game on the bench.

The Red Roses go into round four with three wins out of three and top the table ahead of France care of a superior points difference.

The Azzurres sit in third place after beating Scotland 41-14 last time out.

Red Roses

15 Emma Sing (Gloucester Hartpury, 15 caps)
14 Mia Venner (Gloucester Hartpury, 3 caps)
13 Meg Jones (c) (Trailfinders Women, 36 caps)
12 Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning, 49 caps)
11 Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins Women, 60 caps)
10 Zoe Harrison (Saracens, 68 caps)
9 Lucy Packer (Harlequins Women, 42 caps)
1 Kelsey Clifford (Saracens, 24 caps)
2 Amy Cokayne (vc) (Sale Sharks Women, 92 caps)
3 Maud Muir (Gloucester Hartpury, 51 caps)
4 Abi Burton (Trailfinders Women, 7 caps)
5 Delaney Burns (Brisot Bears Women, 4 caps)
6 Demelza Short (Bristol Bears Women, 2 caps)
7 Marlie Packer (vc) (Saracens, 114 caps)
8 Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs Women, 26 caps)

16 Connie Powell (Harlequins Women, 22 caps)
17 Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester Hartpury, 27 caps)
18 Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears Women, 82 caps)
19 Haineala Lutui (Loughborough Lightning, 3 caps)
20 Haidee Head (Loughborough Lightning, uncapped)
21 Flo Robinson (Exeter Chiefs Women, 3 caps)
22 Holly Aitchison (Sale Sharks Women, 47 caps)
23 Claudia Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs Women, 38 caps)