Women’s Rugby World Cup 2022: how to watch England v South Africa on TV - kick-off, squads and venue

The Red Roses continued their unbeaten run last weekend after taking on rivals France for their second World Cup group stage fixture. Their first World Cup match saw England score a record-breaking number of points as they took on Fiji while their second match proved much tougher competition.

It was a much needed reality check for a team that has breezed through their matches in recent months. The Red Roses ultimately came out on top but France’s defensive line-up proved a fierce contest. Marlie Packer was once again on fire for England, proving to be a persistent thorn in the French sides while Emily Scarratt shone by scoring all of England’s points, including a 24th minute try which gave her squad some much needed breathing space.

Speaking after the match, England’s head coach Simon Middleton said: “I take my hat off to France, they’re so tough. It turned into an absolute arm wrestle but we showed great composure at the end. There was definitely a bit missing in terms of our finishing and that’s why we ended up in such a close encounter. We’ve got to be better at putting those away.”

The Red Roses will hope to have tightened up their finishing by this weekend as they take on South Africa for their third group stage fixture.

When is England v South Africa?

The match is scheduled to take place on Sunday 23 October 2022 with a kick-off time of 5.45am BST. The fixture will be hosted at the Waitakere Stadium in West Auckland, New Zealand, and around 5,000 fans will be able to pack into the ground to watch the match.

How to watch England v South Africa?

All of England’s matches at the Rugby World Cup will be available to watch on ITV and will be possible to stream through ITVHub which requires users to sign up for a free account.

The programme will start at 5.15am ready for the 5.45am kick-off.

Who will win in England v South Africa?

England and South Africa have played each other five times since 2005 with England winning on every occasion. The Springboks have also lost both their fixtures in the group stage of the World Cup, losing 40-5 to France in the opening match and 21-17 to Fiji in last weekend’s match.

The Fijianas’ win over South Africa was their first-ever World Cup win and the SA Rugby came under scathing criticism as a result of the loss. The current coach of the Women’s squad said they choose to take a “glass half-full” approach when it came to development and investment from up top. Meanwhile, the former SA women’s Sevens coach Paul Delport told News24 Sport that it was “unacceptable for the leading rugby nation in the world to be unwilling to invest in women’s rugby.

“I can’t be part of that anymore because I’d be perpetuating a lie to try and bring talented women into the game when there are no real opportunities for them.”

Squads for England v South Africa

Neither teams have revealed the starting XV for the fixture but here are their full World Cup squads:

South Africa:

Backs: Jakkie Cilliers, Libbie Janse van Rensburg, Zenay Jordaan, Tayla Kinsey, Nomawethu Mabenge, Zintle Mpupha, Simamkele Namba, Aphiwe Ngwevu, Rumandi Potgieter, Chuma Qawe, Chumisa Qawe, Nadine Roos, Unam Tose, Eloise Webb

Forwards: Nolusindiso Booi, Roseline Botes, Sanelisiwe Charlie, Lusanda Dumke, Micke Gunter, Lindelwa Gwala, Aseza Hele, Catha Jacobs, Babalwa Latsha, Lerato Makua, Nompumelelo Mathe, Monica Mazibukwana, Sinzao Mcatshulwa, Rights Mkhari, Azisa Mkiva, Yonela Ngxingolo, Asithandile Ntoyanto, Sizophila Solontsi

England:

Backs: Holly Aitchison, Jess Breach, Abby Dow, Zoe Harrison, Tatyana Heard, Leanne Infante, Ellie Kildunne, Claudia MacDonald, Sarah McKenna, Lucy Packer, Helena Rowland, Emily Scarratt, Lydia Thompson

Forwards: Zoe Aldcroft, Sarah Bern, Hannah Botterman, Shaunagh Brown, Poppy Cleall, Amy Cokayne, Vickii Cornborough, Lark Davies, Rosie Galligan, Sarah Hunter, Sadia Kabeya, Laura Keates, Alex Matthews, Maud Muir, Cath O’Donnell, Marlie Packer, Connie Powell, Morwenna Talling, Abbie Ward