The stand-in superstar – Rowland steps up to replace Kildunne

Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final: England v Scotland

Venue: Ashton Gate, Bristol Date: Sunday, 14 September Kick-off: 16:00 BST

John Mitchell’s pick as the player he could least afford to lose came as a bit of a surprise.

Speaking before the Red Roses’ Rugby World Cup warm-up against Spain, England’s head coach opted for Helena Rowland.

“Helena is probably the most valuable person on the team,” said Mitchell.

“She’s an outstanding rugby player. I’m always thinking where I can fit her.”

However, recently, Mitchell has only found space on the bench.

Rowland was a replacement for four out of five matches in the Women’s Six Nations earlier this year. She has started only one of England’s three matches so far at this Rugby World Cup.

With Ellie Kildunne, the reigning world player of the year, ruled out of Sunday’s quarter-final against Scotland, it is Rowland that Mitchell has turned to to fill in at full-back.

This is the curse of the skills Rowlands is blessed with.

A skilful, clever runner with an innate understanding of space and deft hands, she can apply herself to any position across the backline.

She has played for England in every position from 10 to 15, and has even been pencilled in as a fourth-choice scrum-half in case of emergencies.

That versatility makes her an ideal bench option, a superb stand-in wherever needed in the backline.

Once Kildunne suffered a concussion in the win over Australia – her head whiplashing back on to the turf in a tackle by Samantha Wood – Rowland was always in pole position to step up.

While Gloucester-Hartpury’s Emma Sing is a specialist full-back, she is only 12 caps into her Test career and yet to show the same consistency and composure as Rowland.

Both played in the win over Samoa in the second round of pool matches, with Sing at full-back and Rowland at fly-half.

But it was Rowland who caught the eye, scoring 27 points – a Women’s Rugby World Cup record for a player in a single match – landing 11 out of 14 conversions and crossing for a try.

That score was characteristically smart, slamming on the brakes and stepping out into the blind-side to cross as Samoa were retreating.

But her accuracy off the tee will have been reassuring for Mitchell, who has Holly Aitchinson in ahead of regular kicker Zoe Harrison at fly-half for the meeting with Scotland and Sing, England’s best place kicker, on the bench.

The loss of Kildunne undoubtedly robs England of star power, but it might not weaken them significantly on the pitch.

Kildunne’s backfield positioning was exposed by Australia last weekend, with the Wallaroos landing several 50-22 kicks, while the England backline has yet to hit its stride in attack.

It’s the way she likes to play.

A love of off-the-cuff attacking rugby was one of the reasons behind her move from Saracens to Loughborough Lightning in 2020.

Initially in her XV-a-side international career, Rowland was pitted against Harrison, who she grew up playing alongside at Welwyn RFC, in a battle to take on the fly-half role vacated by the retiring Katy Daley-Mclean.

Rowland played faster and looser and then-coach Simon Middleton ultimately opted for Harrison as the steadier hand.

That decision started Rowland’s tour of the backline positions.

She emerged as England’s first-choice full-back in the knockout stages of the last Women’s Rugby World Cup, only to suffer ankle ligament damage in the semi-final win over Canada.

The player who stepped in to fill her boots for the final?

One Ellie Kildunne.

The roles have flipped this time around and, with Kildunne needing a hitch-free recovery to be ready for the semi-finals, might not revert any time soon.