England head coach Simon Middleton has announced his squad to take on France in the second round of pool matches at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. 

The match will take place in Whangerei on Saturday at 3 a.m. Eastern.

Sarah Hunter will captain the side at No. 8 and is set to earn her 137th cap, which will help her become the joint most-capped player for England international, drawing level with Red Roses prop Rocky Clark.

Marlie Packer will return against France at openside flanker - the only change made to Middleton's matchday squad from the opener against Fiji at Eden Park.

Lark Davies remains unavailable, with Middleton saying she will be fit for the final group game against South Africa on Oct. 23.

The Red Roses started their campaign with an 84-19 rout of tournament debutants Fiji, scoring 10 tries in the second half.

However, Middleton is expecting a "close contest" when the Red Roses take on France.

Our #RedRoses squad for #ENGvFRA has been confirmed 🌹#TeamDream

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 12, 2022

France has a new coaching setup since being beaten 36-10 by England in June, and Middleton said of the game: "France always presents a huge challenge, and this time it will be no different. We look forward to another big test and what I expect to be a close contest.

"They're starting from scratch because they've got a new coaching team in there. We haven't beaten that coaching team as such, so it's a new set for them, but they've certainly got a few differences to their game that we've got to be aware of.

"There are things we think we can get, but things that we've got to be really conscious of in terms of how we go about playing.

"But to be honest, one win or 10 wins - or 10 losses - it doesn't make any difference, this is a huge game, so our focus has been just on being the best version of us and getting our game on the field.

"We know against France it will bring up different challenges to playing other sides, but that's what we're setting out to do."

Hunter said on her selection and joint-caps record: "It's something that as a player you can't control, and for me, my goal is always just to be the best version that I can be, to play for the team and get selected.

"I wanted to be put in that category with someone like Clark, who has just been an absolute legend for the game, and to be alongside her now as the most-capped player is really special, and it will be a really proud moment for me."