England favourites on home soil as women’s rugby seeks to shine - New Zealand, Canada and France are the Red Roses’ leading rivals for glory.

England have named an unchanged starting line up for their Rugby World Cup opener against the USA in Sunderland on Friday.

Prospects: A team that should stay poised under pressure. Eleven players have more than 50 caps, led by back Sofia Stefan’s 98. Ten players are going to their third RWC. Keep an eye on center-wing Alyssa D’Inca, a threat since last year who scored four tries across the Azzurre’s warmup wins over Scotland and Japan.