Assistant coach James Bailey has made three changes to the squad for the HSBC USA Sevens as his England charges look to bounce back from the disappointment of a 10th-place finish in Sydney earlier this month.
England failed to reach the Cup quarter-finals for the first time in series history and then lost the Challenge Trophy final to Brazil.
Bailey will give teenager Holly Aitchison and Lotte Clapp (pictured), capped 10 times by England in 15s rugby, will make their series debuts in Las Vegas on 3-4 March, while Deborah Fleming returns having missed the Sydney round.
Heather Fisher is a notable absentee due to injury, but her fellow Team GB Olympians Abbie Brown, Alice Richardson-Watmore and Jo Richardson-Watmore will be present and prove plenty of experience to an England side facing a difficult pool with Dubai winners New Zealand, Olympic champions Australia and Brazil.
“The result in Sydney was disappointing but the players have responded well in training ahead of this next round,” said Bailey. “The squad has shown resilience and we have been working hard on all aspects of our performance to ensure we move forward in Las Vegas.
“The USA Sevens will be a challenging tournament for this group having been drawn in the same pool as Australia, New Zealand and Brazil, however it will be another opportunity for the squad to test themselves against some of the best teams in the world.”
England squad: Natasha Brennan, Abbie Brown (captain), Alice Richardson-Watmore, Millie Wood, Lauren Cattell, Deborah Fleming, Lotte Clapp, Kelly Smith, Fran Matthews, Jo Richardson-Watmore, Holly Aitchison, Chantelle Miell.
Tonegato returns for Australia
Series champions and Olympic gold medallists Australia welcome back try-scoring machine Emma Tonegato (pictured) for the HSBC USA Sevens in Las Vegas, the only change coach Tim Walsh has made from their fourth-place finish on home soil in Sydney earlier this month.
Tonegato missed the Sydney round after rupturing ligaments in her elbow in training but now heads back to America where she was in scintillating form in last year's series when the round was played in Atlanta, scoring 10 tries to walk away with the player of the tournament accolade.
Those 10 tries included a five-try haul against series debutants Colombia, tying the record set twice by New Zealand's Portia Woodman (below).
Australia's squad in 2016-17 continues to be a blend of youth and experience with Tonegato one of seven players with more than 15 tournaments to their name, providing support for the likes of Georgina Friedrichs, Mahalia Murphy and Emma Sykes who only have 10 tournaments between them.
Lying second in the series behind Pool C rivals New Zealand, Australia will also face Brazil and England at the Sam Boyd Stadium on 3 March.
“Las Vegas is a new venue for the women’s series and another step towards a joint men’s and women’s series,” said Walsh. “Las Vegas gives us another opportunity to cement our position at the top end of the table and compete for the world series title again.
“It is great to have Emma return to the team, she adds value and a wealth of experience on and off the field. Our team focus remains 'process driven and performance based' and game one in Vegas is at the forefront of our minds.”
Australia squad: Shannon Parry (co-captain), Sharni Williams (co-captain), Georgina Friedrichs, Mahalia Murphy, Emma Tonegato, Evania Pelite, Charlotte Caslick, Chloe Dalton, Emma Sykes, Alicia Quirk, Emilee Cherry, Ellia Green.
One change for Black Ferns Sevens
Series leaders New Zealand have made only one change to their squad for the third round of the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series 2016-17 in Las Vegas on 3-4 March, with Cheyelle Robins-Reti set to make her debut.
Robins-Reti, who travelled to Sydney where the Black Ferns claimed the bronze medal as a reserve, comes in for Renee Wickliffe who joins Rebekah Cordero-Tufuga on the reserve list. Robins-Reti will have an experienced core of players around her who boast more than 120 series events between them.
“Our goals for Las Vegas are consistency and continuity. When the team plays with their heart and smarts they have proven to be hard to beat, we need to ensure that we bring that focus to every game,” said coach Allan Bunting.
“We played some outstanding rugby at times in Sydney, but we did struggle to get our game going consistently. It was disappointing we lost the semi-final against USA, but we learnt a lot from that, and it gave us the chance to play Australia in their home country. USA will be pumped to be playing in front of their home crowd, but we are positive and looking forward to our next challenge.
A new level
“The selections provide continuity for the majority of players and opportunities to grow new talent with a good base of experienced players to support the new ones coming through.
“Sydney reminded us that we need to treat every game as a final, and that it doesn’t matter who we are playing. All countries are now real threats.”
Dubai winners New Zealand have been drawn in a mouth-watering pool alongside series and Olympic champions Australia, England and Brazil at the HSBC USA Sevens.
“We will face Australia in pool play in Vegas, but we are focused on game one against Brazil. They are a team that has showed they can really play, beating England in Sydney,” added Bunting.
“We are confident that with the right focus we can take our game up another notch and play with greater consistency.”
New Zealand squad: Sarah Goss (captain), Michaela Blyde, Kelly Brazier, Theresa Fitzpatrick, Tyla Nathan-Wong, Cheyelle Robins-Reti, Alena Saili, Terina Te Tamaki, Ruby Tui, Kat Whata-Simpkins, Niall Williams, Portia Woodman
Travelling reserves: Rebekah Cordero-Tufuga, Renee Wickliffe
