Mitchell calls uncapped McQueen and Hibbert-Jones into Red Roses camp ahead of WXV series

England head coach John Mitchell has drafted back-row forwards Daisy Hibbert-Jones and Sophie McQueen into the Red Roses’ training camp at the University of Nottingham, bolstering his squad as WXV Global Series preparations enter their third week.

Hibbert-Jones, 23, has one senior cap to her name, earned at WXV 1 in 2023 when England claimed the inaugural title in New Zealand. Last season she captained Loughborough Lightning in Premiership Women’s Rugby, leading the club to a sixth-place finish.

McQueen, 21, arrives with strong leadership credentials of her own. The Gloucester-Hartpury forward captained England Under-21 at the Women’s U21 Six Nations Series earlier this year, having previously skippered England U18. She made two appearances in the Premiership Women’s Rugby last season and signed a contract extension at Kingsholm Stadium earlier this summer.

Gloucester-Hartpury head of rugby Dan Murphy paid tribute to McQueen’s development. “Sophie is another fantastic example of what our pathway can produce,” he said. “She has an outstanding work ethic, is incredibly athletic and brings real physicality to our pack. Beyond her qualities as a player, Sophie’s leadership has continued to grow, and captaining England U21s this year is recognition of the character and standards she brings every day.”

In his first press conference of the season, Mitchell framed the upcoming series — which sees England face Canada three times alongside matches against the Black Ferns, Wallaroos and USA Women’s Eagles in September and October — as an early audition for the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.

“There’s no tournament to win, so we can be very patient around how we go about things,” Mitchell said. “It’s kind of like you’re auditioning for Australia in ‘29, because geographically we’re definitely going to be travelling some distance in this tournament. I want to see people compete. Because, ultimately, they’ll earn the trust when it comes to ‘29.”