England head coach John Mitchell has made wholesale changes for his side’s heavyweight WXV clash against world champions New Zealand this weekend.

Having fielded an experimental outfit for his side’s opening-round victory over the USA, Mitchell has brought back his big guns for Sunday’s encounter in Vancouver.

England, who beat the Black Ferns last month at Twickenham, face a wounded New Zealand outfit who suffered a shock 29-27 defeat to Ireland in the opening round of the competition.

New Zealand have only ever lost three consecutive matches twice previously in their history — they suffered four straight defeats on their northern tour in 2021 and lost three in a row from November to December 2012 (all against England).

Telegraph Sport analyses four key talking points ahead of the match, as the Red Roses continue their quest to retain their WXV crown.

Mitchell recalls Red Roses heavyweights

Morwenna Talling, the sole Sale Sharks representative in the Red Roses squad, is one of five survivors from the team who ground down the USA last week. A herculean carrier, the 22-year-old has really come into her own at blindside flanker and as has been one of England’s most consistent performers of late.

Her steady development is also a reminder of how the battle for a back-row spot is shaping up ahead of next year’s World Cup — Talling has kept Maddie Feau’nati out of the starting line-up — with the injured Sadia Kabeya yet to come back into the mix.

In a snapshot of how Mitchell has favoured experience for this encounter, Georgia Brock made 22 tackles against the USA last week without missing a single one on her Test debut, but makes room for captain Marlie Packer, who returns on the other flank. Tatyana Heard also comes back into the mix at inside centre alongside Helena Rowland, with Emily Scarratt once again pushed to the bench.

Holly Aitchison retakes the reins at 10

Aitchison has become a safe pair of hands for the Red Roses at fly-half, having homed the position during Zoe Harrison’s time out with a knee injury during the majority of 2023. That Mitchell has opted for the Bristol Bear over Harrison — who had an exemplary game against the USA on a rare Test start — is a good indicator of the type of game England will deploy.

Aitchison’s kicking-metres tally was eight times that of her New Zealand counterpart, Ruahei Demant, when the two sides met at Twickenham last month. Harrison, who nailed all but one of her conversions last week and was the only player to assist more than one line-break against the Eagles, has the right to feel hard done by to not pip Aitchison for the starting shirt. The fact is Mitchell has two dynamic 10s at his disposal, which is a rarity in the women’s game.

50 and counting for Hannah Botterman

Bristol Bears prop Botterman is part of a changed front three alongside Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir, meaning Mckenzie Carson, Lark Atkin Davies and Sarah Bern have to contend with the bench. “We can go either now with selection,” said Louis Deacon, the Red Roses’ forwards coach, highlighting the interchangeability between either trio. “This week we’ve gone the other way with the front three.”

Botterman has been a cornerstone of England’s front row since cruelly missing the 2022 World Cup final through injury and is one of the most destructive carriers on the women’s Test scene. To achieve a half-century of caps at the age of 25 is some feat and confirmation that she still has some of her best years ahead of her.

England to face wounded Black Ferns outfit

The Red Roses face a rematch with the Black Ferns at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. Fresh from being stunned by Ireland — who were playing in the bottom rung WXV3 league this time last year — their hopes of winning the tournament have already been dented.

Victory against England would restore some much-needed pride in what has been something of a tumultuous 12 months for Allan Bunting’s side: they have lost five of their nine fixtures since June 2023 and are yet to beat the Red Roses in this World-Cup cycle.

Is this a team that only shows in time for World Cups? Quite possibly. The more these two titans of the game meet, the more you feel England are beginning to suss the six-time world champions out.

“The more regularly we play them, we can get a good feel of how to beat them,” said Packer. “For myself and the rest of the group, there’s not much of an aura around them [anymore] that they’re invincible. Our mindset is changing.”

Stadium swap

The paltry crowds have been an unwanted talking point during WXV, with matches across all three leagues (WXV1, 2 and 3) being played in empty stadiums. The second round of WXV fixtures, which will be staged in the smaller-sized Langley Events Centre, which has a capacity of 5,276 and is the home of the Canadian ice hockey team Vancouver Giants, should at least offer a more intimate and lively atmosphere.