Nations

Wales’ skillset and depth of the player pool remain up for debate.

Interim attack coach Ashley Beck said: “If the skill level isn’t as good as it should be, it doesn’t matter what shapes you play.

“If we want to play an exciting brand of rugby and compete against the best, the skill development needs to be better.”

Beck’s view was echoed by former Wales fly-half James Hook who was among the Scrum V pundits on Sunday. He also questioned whether Wales’ players are putting in the extras to improve as individuals.

“Whether it’s working on your kicking for an hour a day, your throwing, your passing, your tackling – are these players doing that? I don’t know,” said Hook.

“From my experience, once the team session is finished, your individual job still needs to continue.”

Wales’ strength in depth was also discussed on the panel, with Wales clearly in need of some reinforcement at fly-half.

Lillicrap said: “People have been calling out Lleucu George saying it needs to change there, but ultimately who comes in? If you take her off the field what other tens have you got?”

“As a fly-half on an international stage, you’ve got to run this team, you can’t throw a youngster into that lion’s den.”

Burton, who switched to number eight after Feaunati pulled out of the line-up in Parma, partners the Exeter star in the back row, with Kabeya, who won player of the match in the September’s World Cup final, at open-side flanker.

Liz Crake, who won her most recent cap in 2023 and has returned to working as a dentist alongside her rugby, has been named on the bench after Saracens team-mate Kelsey Clifford suffered a leg injury.

England have won their past 17 meetings with France in all competitions, but were pushed to within a point in a 43-42 victory in last year’s Six Nations finale.

France, who have grown into the tournament as a new-look backline have found their feet, will be roared on by a crowd that is expected to set a new record for a Women’s Six Nations match in France at the 42,000-capacity Stade Atlantique.

England: Kildunne; Breach, Jones (c), Rowland, Moloney-MacDonald; Harrison, L Packer; Carson, Cokayne, Bern, Ives Campion, Burns, Burton, Kabeya, Feaunati

Replacements: Powell, Crake, Muir, Short, M Packer, Robinson, Aitchison, Sing.

France and England will battle it out for the Six Nations title in the final match next weekend and, even though Ireland aren’t pushing those heavyweights, they now established themselves as a young, upcoming squad.

Their victory over Wales is their second of this campaign after an impressive 57-20 win over Italy, who occupy fourth spot.

“We’re starting to handle bigger occasions and bigger pressure more, and with that comes more expectation. But that’s the cool thing, that’s where we want to be,” he continued.

“Our next thing now is we’re going to start converting that belief, that confidence, that understanding and that we’re quite good into results.

“We’ll get there, the trajectory is still up and we’re still hungry to get better. So no doubt we’ll get there and as quick as we can get there, the quicker the better.

Despite their progress, Bemand also acknowledged they still have room to improve.

Ireland have never beaten France nor England with the head coach adding that this must be an aim of the side.

“We do want to be in games where we’re in a position to beat an England and a France.

“Are we getting there? Well, with this competition, we’ve proved that we haven’t as yet.

“So, we’ll take that, but unfortunately it means we have to sit on it for 12 months before we get another crack at them, a top four team.

“Our job now is to get as good as we can in the next year so that when we get them over here, we can condense that scoreline even further.”

Ireland finish their Six Nations campaign with a home match against Scotland on 17 May at the Aviva Stadium.

Compared to their second-half showing against England, where they bagged two late tries for a bonus-point, Wales could muster very little after the break in Belfast.

Ireland were utterly dominant with possession and territory, with last year’s player of the championship Aoife Wafer leading the charge.

Travelling fans’ only consolation was a 78th minute Jasmine Joyce try but it was not enough to prevent Wales from leaving empty handed.

“We’re ranked 12th in the world, we played the team ranked 5th in the world and you can clearly see when you’re away from home, you’ve got to be a lot more clinical,” said Wales head coach Sean Lynn.

“We said in the huddle at the end of the game, we’ve got to be better with our composure and accuracy.

“I wouldn’t have said the girls dropped their heads. They stuck at it, stuck to their processes, but Ireland kept the ball really well.

“The girls give everything out there and when you see them upset after the game it’s because they care, they want to be winning, so it is tough.”

Despite losing their previous eight Six Nations matches, Wales came into the game with confidence after they registered a record four tries against world champions England in their last outing.

They started stronger in Belfast, but Wafer gave Ireland the lead against the run of play when the back row’s persistence paid off and she forced her way over the line before Dannah O’Brien added a challenging extra two.

Wales looked to respond quickly with a huge tackle from Parsons denying Hannah Dallavalle after Carys Cox had taken advantage of a mix-up and fed the ball through.

The visitors kept pushing and registered their first try when Georgia Evans dived over from close range and Keira Bevan was able to convert to level the match.

A double movement denied Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald after she had powered her way over as the home side, buoyed by a vocal crowd, began to settle.

Wafer then turned provider, shrugging off multiple white shirts before a superb offload to Parsons, who raced down the right wing to restore Ireland’s lead.

They then struck a hammer blow just before the break as, opting to play on with clock in the red, Ireland were rewarded for their persistence as they added their third try when Hogan crossed after sustained pressure from a ruck.

After the restart, a television match official [TMO] check confirmed Moloney-MacDonald’s kick out at Evans warranted a yellow card.

Wales were unable to take advantage of having an extra player and it was soon 14-players apiece for a period as Jasmine Joyce was shown a yellow card for placing her hands on the ground when bringing Eve Higgins down.

As the hour mark approached, Aoife Dalton and Linda Djougang linked up and fed the ball to Wafer to cross to secure the bonus point.

Bemand then turned to his bench and made a flurry of changes which added energy to their play.

Replacement Jones thought she had added Ireland’s fifth shortly after her introduction, only for her effort to be ruled out after a TMO review.

Joyce added Wales’ second try in the final five minutes as she held off Parsons and stretched to ground the ball.

Ireland did land a fifth try in the final seconds as Hogan bundled over from close range, with O’Brien able to convert for a fourth time.

The UNIFIL has faced a growing number of casualties as Israel continues air raids despite a ceasefire and Hezbollah has responded with rockets and drones.

China’s ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, has said there is a need to re-examine the UN Security Council’s decision to terminate the mandate of the longstanding peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, which is due to end later this year.

Speaking to reporters on Friday at the UN headquarters in New York, Ambassador Fu expressed China’s deep concern about the situation in Lebanon as Beijing assumed the council’s rotating presidency for May.

He observed that a genuine ceasefire did not exist in Lebanon, describing the current state of conflict as merely a “lesser fire”.

“We do believe that we should revisit the decision, actually, to withdraw the UNIFIL,” Fu said, using the acronym for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

“I think at least the view of the overwhelming majority of the Security Council is that this is not the time to really, to withdraw the UNIFIL out of that part of the country,” Fu said.

China is waiting for a report from the UN secretariat, expected in June, “before we take our position”, he added.

Fu also said, “It is incumbent on Israel to stop this bombardment of Lebanon.”

Created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after the 1978 invasion, UNIFIL saw its mandate expanded after the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah and was responsible for a demilitarised buffer between the opposing sides.

However, the UNSC unanimously resolved last year to begin withdrawing the UNIFIL mission’s 10,800 international peacekeepers by December 2026.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed 2,618 people and forced more than one million to flee their homes.

The UNIFIL mission has also faced a growing number of casualties. According to UN officials, at least six peacekeepers have been killed and many others injured since Israel began its attack on March 2.

The deaths include soldiers from various contributing nations, including Indonesia and France, who have been caught in shelling incidents and roadside attacks.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned these incidents, noting that the UN’s “blue helmets” have come under fire while performing essential duties, such as clearing explosive ordnance and escorting logistics convoys.

After the big talk in the build-up, Ireland blew France away in the opening 40 minutes but, largely, were left unrewarded for their efforts.

Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald crossed for Ireland but had two efforts chalked off, while Brittany Hogan and Fiona Tuite were also denied first-half scores.

France, who are tipped to meet England in a Grand Slam decider on the final day of the Six Nations, showed a clinical edge and moved clear after the restart through Carla Arbez, Anais Grando and Lea Champon, while Ireland could not back up their first-half performance and fell short.

Under head coach Scott Bemand, Ireland have moved up to fifth in the world and stunned New Zealand and Australia in 2024, but the elusive Six Nations scalp goes on.

England had too much on the opening day, when a slow start was punished, and defeat by France shows there is still work to be done.

“In these kinds of Test matches the margins become finer, so we’re after finer margins than we were,” Bemand said.

“Nail your kick to touch and nail your exit – they are the type of things that don’t let France in.

“We will keep going after the finer margins and keep trying to get better. I’ve got a group who is up for that.”

Another day, another emphatic win for England.

The Red Roses jamboree roared into Bristol, attracting a record crowd for their third consecutive match at this Six Nations and bringing with it a sea of white shirts, red cowgirl hats and rose-petal headwear galore. And, most importantly, tries.

Fresh from crossing 12 times against Scotland at Murrayfield last week, England scored another 10 tries in a 62-24 victory over Wales – a result that leaves John Mitchell’s side top of the table with maximum points from three matches.

With a fifth consecutive Triple Crown secured, they remain on course for a record eighth straight Women’s Six Nations title.

Impressive statistics. But attack coach Emily Scarratt told BBC Two the dressing room was a little “muted” after the game.

Yes, England won comfortably and without ever losing control to extend their record unbeaten run to 36 Tests, but this wasn’t the steamrollering many expected, with Wales – to use Mitchell’s word – “surprising” them.

The visitors scored four tries – including two in the final 10 minutes as England’s concentration wandered – to pick up a valuable bonus point, and twice profited after bamboozling England with their line-out routine.

England were, at times, guilty of poor discipline – giving away nine penalties – and sloppy handling. Improvements will need to be made by the time they face title rivals France in round five.

“You’re always in a Test match when you play a team like Wales,” said Scarratt. “I thought they really brought it today and posed some different challenges for us, which is pretty awesome in our development.

“We still got a pretty good job done. There’s a muted sense in the group, which is obviously a really good feeling when you put a score on like that.”

But while Wales fired a couple of warning shots, this was another routine win for England and one that does little to assuage concerns the Six Nations is too predictable and their dominance may not benefit themselves and the game.

The U.S. Air Force has shared new details about how it will modify a subset of HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopters to perform the so-called Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) mission set. AFDW HH-60Ws will be tasked with ferrying VIPs around the nation’s capital, as well as supporting continuity of government plans. In the latter role, the Jolly Green IIs will be poised to spirit senior U.S. officials and lawmakers to safety at a moment’s notice to ensure the federal government can continue to function even in the event of an attack or a similarly serious contingency. HH-60Ws were just in the news recently in relation to their primary CSAR mission, having taken part in efforts to rescue the crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle shot down in Iran.

The Air Force currently uses a fleet of aging UH-1N Twin Huey helicopters based at Andrews Air Force Base (technically now part of Joint Base Andrews) to perform AFDW missions. The service had initially planned to replace them with new MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters, but revealed last year it was considering using HH-60Ws for this role instead. The Air Force’s proposed budget for the 2027 Fiscal Year, which was rolled out earlier this week, confirms that it is officially moving ahead with plans to supplant the UH-1Ns at Andrews with Jolly Green IIs. The service is still procuring and fielding MH-139s, primarily to help provide security around Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) silos.

“26 HH-60Ws will replace the UH-1Ns at Air Force District Washington (AFDW) to execute continuity of operations / continuity of government missions in the National Capital Region,” according to the Air Force budget documents. The term National Capital Region (NCR) refers to a larger area that surrounds Washington, D.C., proper.

The baseline HH-60W is a member of the extended H-60/S-70 Black Hawk family produced by Sikorsky, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin. The Jolly Green II has a number of distinct features in line with its primary CSAR mission, including a nose-mounted radar, an in-flight refueling probe, and a main cabin with a configuration optimized for the recovery of personnel, including individuals who may be injured. It also has provisions for mounted machine guns for self-defense, as well as launchers for decoy flares and chaff. The first HH-60Ws began entering Air Force service in 2022.

Up close with the HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter at Nellis AFB for The War Zone.

The AFDW “modifications include possible removal of components including, but not limited to, the following: Rescue Team Seat, Isolated Personnel Litter, Gun System, Chaff/Flare Buckets, and Doors/Floor Armor,” per the Air Force’s latest budget request. “In addition, this effort may include, but not limited to, the following modifications to the baseline HH-60W: ARC 210 Gen 6 radios, Infrared Countermeasure (IRCM) system, and alternate seating arrangement.”

Mention here of an IRCM system is worth highlighting. The integration of a built-in infrared countermeasure system onto the HH-60W, in general, has been a particular point of interest for the Air Force for years now. Various IRCM system designs are available on the open market today, all of which are intended to provide added protection against heat-seeking anti-air missiles. For helicopters, these systems provide a particularly valuable extra layer of defense against threats posed by shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles, also known as man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS).

Earlier this month, the Air Force put out a contracting notice seeking information from contractors about their capacity to integrate either the Common Infrared Countermeasure (CIRCM) system or the AN/AAQ-45 Distributed Aperture Infrared Countermeasure (DAIRCM) system onto the HH-60W fleet. CIRCM is a U.S. Army-managed system now being installed on the service’s UH-60 Black Hawks, as well as other helicopter types within that service. The U.S. Navy manages the DAIRCM program, with those systems being integrated on a variety of helicopters across the U.S. military, including MH-60S Seahawks and VH-60Ns, the latter of which serve in the “Marine One” presidential airlift role. Northrop Grumman and Leonardo DRS are the prime contractors for CIRCM and DAIRM, respectively.

Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM)

Leonardo DRS: IRCM Technology

As TWZ has pointed out in the past, it has also been curious that HH-60Ws did not come with an IRCM capability from the start, given the explicit dangers the helicopters have been expected to face when performing CSAR missions. The AN/AAQ-45 system was even previously integrated into the Air Force’s older HH-60G Pave Hawks, which the Jolly Green IIs are replacing.

The risks HH-60Ws face when performing their primary mission were put on full display during the recent rescue efforts in Iran following the F-15E shoot-down. Questions have been raised in the past about the continued utility of traditional helicopters like the Jolly Green II in the CSAR role, broadly speaking, especially in potential future high-end fights, such as one between the United States and China in the Pacific. Air Force officials have said previously that they have been exploring alternatives for retrieving downed aircrew from deep within contested environments, but details about what that might consist of have remained limited.

A separate Air Force contracting notice put out earlier this month also provides additional details about the planned AFDW cabin configuration for the HH-60W.

“The AF [Air Force] will remove several components from the baseline 60W to allow for the installation of passenger seats for AFDW. Seating is required for 11 passengers,” that notice explains. “Seating must meet applicable crash and safety requirements including emergency egress.”

The “reconfiguration of [the] interior layout to accommodate [the] seating” will also be done in a way that allows for “preserving critical CSAR equipment (rescue hoist, defensive weapons, medical stations)” that the helicopters will still need for their new role.

Just in terms of general speed, range, and payload capacity, the HH-60W will offer a major boost in capability over the UH-1Ns that perform AFDW missions today. The Jolly Green IIs also offer advantages in this regard over the smaller and lighter MH-139s.

In addition, the Air Force has not indicated any plans to eliminate the HH-60W’s aerial refueling capability as part of the AFDW modifications. Neither the UH-1N nor the MH-139 is capable of being refueled in flight.

Combat Rescue Helicopter Successfully Executes Major Test Milestone: Aerial Refueling

All of this could be particularly valuable during continuity of government taskings in the very busy and otherwise complex skies over the NCR. The airspace around Washington, D.C., is also the most densely defended and heavily monitored anywhere in the United States. This was all highlighted in the fatal mid-air collision involving an Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet in January 2025. The Black Hawk, assigned to a unit at Davison Army Airfield in Virginia, had been conducting a continuity of government training flight.

As TWZ wrote at the time:

The flights could come at any time, including in the dead of night, and, depending on the circumstances, might face a host of other complex environmental factors and other challenging conditions. Power outages could put additional emphasis on the need to use night vision goggles, which impose limits on situational awareness. Attacks involving nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons would prompt the need to wear other bulky protective gear. In the outright rush to evacuate key personnel, the airspace would be filled with large numbers of aircraft, as highlighted by large COG exercises the 12th Aviation Battalion regularly conducts involving dozens of its helicopters.

As is made clear here, Air Force HH-60Ws would not be the only helicopters zooming around the NCR during a continuity of government scenario, either. Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), best known for operating helicopters in the Marine One role, would also be involved. Helicopters belonging to the U.S. Park Police, as well as various other law enforcement and civilian agencies, would also have a role to play. You can read more about this here.

Military and police helicopters land at the US Capitol this evening.

As mentioned earlier, the AFDW mission set also includes performing more routine VIP airlift sorties on a daily basis.

There is a question of what modifying 26 HH-60Ws for the AFDW role might mean for the operational capacity of the rest of the CSAR-focused fleet. The Air Force’s 2027 Fiscal Year budget request does not show any plans to procure additional Jolly Green IIs to meet this new need in the nation’s capital. Years ago, the service already made the decision to scale back purchases of HH-60Ws, down from an original program of record for 113 of the helicopters. The total planned fleet size now looks to be 91, per the recently released budget documents. Without the acquisition of more Jolly Green IIs, this would mean that roughly 30 percent of the entire fleet is set to be re-roled away from the dedicated CSAR mission.

“It is more cost effective to modify previously procured HH-60Ws contained in back up inventory than to procure additional MH-139A aircraft,” an Air Force spokesperson had told Air & Space Forces Magazine last year when asked about the Air Force’s evolving plans for the AFDW mission set.

As it stands now, per the service’s latest budget request, the Air Force is looking to kick off formal development of the AFDW configuration for the HH-60W in Fiscal Year 2027, which begins on October 1 of this year. The goal is then to start refitting Jolly Green IIs for this role in the 2028 Fiscal Year.

Once modified, the specifically configured HH-60Ws will then begin taking over critical AFDW missions from the aging UH-1Ns at Andrews.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

Head coach Scott Bemand says Ireland are “ready” for the pressure of facing France in Clermont on Saturday after learning from a string of big-game experiences.

Ireland began their Women’s Six Nations campaign with a 33-12 loss to England in front of a record 77,120 at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

Bemand’s side also faced New Zealand and France in front of near-capacity crowds at the World Cup last year – and the coach feels those days will stand to his squad as they bid for a first win on French soil.

“We’ve got the benefit now with our group having come through the World Cup piece where we had full stadiums, a lot of noise and a lot of expectation, internal expectation,” said Bemand.

“Going away to France is a class experience. We were away in England two weeks ago so we’ve had a recent opportunity of stepping into that sort of arena.

“I saw a completely different group to two years ago walking into that space, so as we continue to evolve, continue to get more confident in ourselves and our performances, I think we’re ready for this one.”

Bemand, who has made one change from last week’s nine-try win over Italy, added the team feel “excitement and anticipation rather than nerves”.

“We’re ready for this, we’ve trained well this week,” he added.

“We’re now recovering, we’ll travel, we’re going to enjoy it. The weather looks good over there and we’ll be absolutely gunning to start and get out of the blocks when the whistle goes on Saturday night.”

Ireland’s Nations Championship fixture against Japan will take place at McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle, Australia on 11 July (11:00 BST).

Andy Farrell’s side open the inaugural tournament against Australia in Sydney on 4 July and will face the Brave Blossoms before travelling to New Zealand to take on the All Blacks at Auckland’s Eden Park on 18 July.

Ireland have won 10 out of 11 Tests with Japan, the sole defeat coming at the 2019 Rugby World Cup at Shizuoka Stadium. Ireland won the last meeting 41-10 in Dublin last November.

After July’s fixtures, Ireland will host Argentina, Fiji and South Africa in November at Aviva Stadium.

The biennial 12-team Nations Championship comprises six rounds of matches across the summer and autumn Test windows before a ‘finals weekend’ on 27-29 November at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

After each team has played the other six from the opposing hemisphere once, they are ranked within their own hemisphere.

The finals weekend in London will start with the sixth-placed northern hemisphere side taking on their southern hemisphere equivalent, and culminate in the two group winners taking each other on for the title.

The results on the finals weekend will also contribute to a north v south overall score and title.

Ireland’s fixtures (times BST)

4 July

Australia v Ireland, Allianz Stadium, 11:00

11 July

Japan v Ireland, McDonald Jones Stadium, 11:00

18 July

New Zealand v Ireland, 08:10

6 November

Ireland v Argentina, Aviva Stadium

14 November

Ireland v Fiji, Aviva Stadium

21 November

Ireland v South Africa, Aviva Stadium

Finals weekend

27 November

Sixth-place North v Sixth-place South

Third-place North v Third-place South

28 November

Fifth-place North v Fifth-place South

Second-place North v Second-place South

29 November

Fourth-place North v Fourth-place South

First-place North v First-place South

Bethan Lewis will lead Wales against England in the Women’s Six Nations on Saturday (14:15 BST) with fellow back rower Kate Williams ruled out through injury.

Williams came off in the second half of the 38-7 defeat by France last weekend with a leg problem and will miss Wales’ meeting with the world champions at Ashton Gate.

Alex Callender, Williams’ co-captain last year, is still recovering from an ankle injury.

Lewis led Wales against Canada at last summer’s World Cup and said: “It’s always a massive honour to put on the jersey and to be able to lead the girls out against England.”

The England game will come too soon for Wales centre Carys Cox, who was a late withdrawal from the France defeat after taking a knock in training, but head coach Sean Lynn says wing Seren Singleton is fit despite leaving the field with her arm in a sling.

He will name his side on Thursday morning.

Bern has scored two tries in each of England’s wins over Scotland and Ireland in the opening two rounds of the Six Nations.

She believes adding more try-scoring threats to England’s attack can be key to fuelling record crowds in the absence of opposition who can threaten their winning streak.

Ten of England’s 16 tries in the knockout stages of last year’s World Cup came via their forwards as they leaned on the power of their pack and set-piece en route to glory.

Lou Meadows, England’s attack coach at the time, had had some success with a more expansive gameplan,, external but left her post after the tournament.

Emily Scarratt, the Red Roses’ all-time leading points scorer, has since taken up the role.

“Where we’re trying to evolve to now is being threats from anywhere,” said Bern.

“We recognise that we won a World Cup, and it was great, but we definitely could have made improvements in our attack.

“We always talk about how even if something’s not broken, we can break it and start again. Just because it worked doesn’t mean we can’t change anything.

“We want people to come to the stadium and see something different every week.

“We want to be entertaining. We want to show that all of our Red Roses have amazing abilities to carry, fend and play an exciting style of rugby to showcase to the world.”

England face Wales, who have lost 11 of their past 12 Tests, at a sold-out Ashton Gate in Bristol on Saturday (14:15 BST kick-off).

So what to make of a day which delivered history for Scottish women’s sport, as well as a 12-try demolition?

It is true, England are not the benchmark for Scotland.

Victory away to Wales last week was a solid start, and now it is all about the response in Italy next week and trying to beat Ireland in the final game, either side of a home game against France.

But all performances are crucial to building momentum and keeping the fans coming back, as Malcolm herself said.

Just ask the Scotland women’s football team, who have seen crowds shrink back at Hampden amid a struggle to qualify for major finals.

The Scotland captain, as ever, got the tone spot on when summing up a strange day.

“Today was about so much more than just the game,” Malcolm said. “For those of us that have been around 10 years plus – we’ve come from back pitches with a couple of people in stands.

“To even arrive today and get the reception we got was phenomenal. It’s a result of the work we’ve done as players on the pitch to put in performances that make people want to come back.

“Today wasn’t one of them. But that doesn’t take away from what we’ve created over the last 10 years to make this happen.

“We’re at the beginning of a new journey. We’re going to keep pushing to get back to that point to put in a performance in that stadium that fans can be proud of.”

Wales: Powell; Singleton, Dallavalle, Keight, Joyce; George, Lockwood; Pyrs, Jones, Tuipulotu, Aiono, Crabb, Lewis, Williams (capt), King

Replacements: Reardon, Davies, Rose, John, Metcalfe, Evans, Bevan, De Vera.

France: Barrat; Grando, Rousset, Vernier, Murie; Arbez, Bourdon Sansus; Brosseau, Lazarko, Khalfaoui, Zago, Fall Raclot, Berthoumieu, M Feleu (capt), L Champon

Replacements: Riffonneau, Mwayembe, Deshaye, Soqeta, Escudero, A Chambon, T Feleu.

Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher told the UN Security Council that South Sudan is at risk of slipping into ‘full-scale famine and collapse’ as fighting intensifies and the UN peacekeeping mission is cut back.

Scotland fly-half Helen Nelson, who ranks fourth highest for the number of kicks out of hand in the English top-flight, may well look to exploit space around Kildunne, while Rhona Lloyd, who will line up opposite Kildunne, has scored 11 league tries for Sale so far this season.

Elsewhere prop Maud Muir wins her 50th cap for England as she starts at tighthead in place of Sarah Bern, who is part of a set of replacements which includes 112-cap Marlie Packer and Gloucester-Hartpury’s Mia Venner.

England are hunting their eighth successive Women’s Six Nations title, but are attempting to maintain their streak without a host of names who helped them to the World Cup last year.

Number eight Alex Matthews will miss the meeting with Scotland with a shoulder injury, while earlier on Thursday it was announced that prop Hannah Botterman had joined those sidelined for the tournament with an ankle injury.

Head coach John Mitchell will hope that the enforced changes will prove the making of a next generation of players, while maintaining the Red Roses’ grip on the tournament.

However Scotland, who will play in front of a 25,000-plus crowd at Scottish Gas Murrayfield in the biggest stand-alone women’s sporting fixture in their country’s history, will be primed to exploit any wobbles.

England: Sing; Breach, Jones (capt), Rowland, Kildunne; Harrison, L Packer; Clifford, Cokayne, Muir, Burton, Ives Campion, Short, Kabeya, Feaunati,

Replacements: Powell, Carson, Bern, Lutui, M Packer, Robinson, Aitchison, Venner

The experts call Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon on April 8 ‘a blatant violation of the UN Charter’.

A group of United Nations experts has denounced Israel’s attack on Lebanon a day after the United States and Iran agreed a ceasefire as illegal and urged UN member states to halt all arms transfers to Israel.

The 19 experts – including special rapporteurs and independent experts across a range of human rights mandates – issued the condemnation on Wednesday as Israel continued to pound areas of southern Lebanon, killing at least 16 people, including four paramedics, Lebanese state media reported.

Referring to a devastating wave of Israeli attacks across Lebanon on April 8, which Lebanese authorities said killed more than 350 people, including 30 children, the experts said: “This is not self-defence. It is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, a deliberate ‌destruction of prospects for peace, and an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order.”

They called for Israel to “cease all military operations in Lebanon” and urged UN member states to halt arms transfers to Israel while “there is credible evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law”, according to the UN Human Rights Council.

Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon on March 2 after the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in response to the US-Israel killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei two days earlier, the first day of their war on Iran.

Israel has carried out a devastating bombardment across Lebanon and a ground invasion in the south, killing more than 2,000 people and forcibly displacing more than 1.2 million.

The UN experts said such forced displacement “of a civilian population constitutes crimes against humanity”. They also condemned Israel’s targeted “destruction of homes”, particularly in predominantly Shia areas of the south, as “a form of collective punishment” that “points to ethnic cleansing”.

Israel’s continuing bombardment of Lebanon has been a point of tension in US-Iran negotiations. Tehran said Lebanon should be covered in the ongoing ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lebanon is ‌not ‌part of the ceasefire with Iran and Israel will continue to target Hezbollah “wherever required”.

On Saturday, days before Israel and Lebanon held rare, high-level diplomatic talks in the US, Netanyahu said Israel wanted long-term peace with Lebanon but on the condition that Hezbollah is disarmed.

The Reuters news agency quoted a senior Israeli official as saying ⁠Israel’s security cabinet planned to convene on Wednesday evening to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon. It also quoted several senior ⁠Lebanese officials as saying ceasefire efforts were under way.

McGann was not always as confident as her persona on TikTok suggests and credits Higgins for helping her come out of her shell.

The two first met at an Ireland sevens camp in Dublin at 16 and have stayed friends during their rise from playing for the sevens at the Olympics in 2024 to representing the 15s at a World Cup last year and various editions of the Six Nations.

“The first time I met Anna was a sevens camp at DCU [Dublin City University], there was a girl the side of the pitch not saying much. She didn’t speak really until our first Dubai Invitational and then you were like ‘who is this?'” Higgins joked.

“I was so shy. I think Eve and the girls were so good and a reason as to why I came out of my shell and was so comfortable and that didn’t happen until I was 21-22,” McGann explained.

“They helped shape me into the person I am and be more comfortable to be myself.”

Despite their closeness, Higgins says the two have never had a falling out, even though they share a room together during Ireland camps.

“Eve and I roomed together for five weeks at the World Cup and somehow we’re not sick of each other,” McGann said.

“We would know if we need to give each other space. That’s the best thing we have. We’ve known each other so long and have grown,” Higgins added.

As mentioned, both players made the transition from sevens to 15s rugby alongside countless others in Scott Bemand’s current squad.

Higgins believes that is the case for so many because it was the only real pathway available for players of her generation to play in a professional environment.

“It’s mostly because there’s not provincial teams for women. Sevens was an opportunity for women’s rugby players to train every week.

“Thankfully now there’s a women’s programme, so there’s 15s and sevens but at the time only seven players were contracted to train week in week out. That was the pathway for us to play semi-professional rugby.”