World number one v world champions - a special rivalry

Women's Test: England v New Zealand

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 14 September Kick-off: 14:30 BST

Coverage: Watch unrecorded connected BBC One, BBC iPlayer and online; updates connected BBC Radio 5 Live; substance commentary connected BBC Sport website & app

Undefeated successful much than a year. A winning tally of 29 games successful the Six Nations. Three consecutive Grand Slams, and six championships connected the bounce.

Can anyone halt the England women's team?

Their formidable records talk of adjacent perfection, but the 1 squad that person had their fig erstwhile it matters astir is New Zealand.

Five World Cup finals against the Red Roses – 5 wins. A statistic that each squad successful satellite rugby would imagination of.

The Black Ferns were the past broadside to bushed England, securing a melodramatic victory astatine their location World Cup successful 2022.

That achy decision has fuelled England to spell connected a 16-game winning run.

"The 2021 last [played successful 2022] was the worst clip for maine arsenic I was genuinely heartbroken," Red Roses skipper Marlie Packer told BBC Sport.

"It was a truly pugnacious clip arsenic a squad but hopefully we person shown maturation since."

Some revenge was dealt past twelvemonth erstwhile John Mitchell's broadside defeated the satellite champions successful Auckland to win past year's WXV tournament.

"England are a large squad and satellite fig one, but we are nary strangers to occurrence arsenic well," New Zealand co-captain Kennedy Tukuafu said.

"We were amazed by WXV arsenic we had done a batch of bully enactment and were successful a bully space."

Now the extremity for the world's fig one-ranked broadside is back-to-back wins implicit the Black Ferns astatine the recently named Allianz Stadium connected Saturday - successful their 2nd warm-up crippled earlier WXV.

The fixture hypes itself and its aggravated rivalry has meant 40,000 tickets person been sold.

Head manager Mitchell, a erstwhile New Zealand subordinate and coach, confirmed determination would beryllium thing but respect shown to the pre-match haka.

Lock Zoe Aldcroft, who started the World Cup last and scored successful the WXV1 triumph past year, said that contempt facing the haka galore times it inactive gives her "goosebumps".

"We are conscionable going to support it chill and look it. Let them bash it, we volition past huddle up and support our caput connected our game," Aldcroft told BBC Sport.

"I can't truly explicate the feeling but it besides pumps you up a batch much and it pumps those guys up and you are besides similar 'come connected then', and you conscionable can't hold for the whistle to blow."

The World Cup last ended 34-31 and included 4 tries scored wrong 25 minutes, portion England helping Lydia Thompson was sent disconnected successful the 18th minute.

The Red Roses learned from this and a twelvemonth aboriginal scored 3 times wrong 25 minutes to instrumentality power of the WXV1 meeting.

In the victory past play against France determination were signs of pre-season rust successful the aboriginal stages.

Getting retired of the blocks accelerated is must, particularly erstwhile the Black Ferns thin not to marque mistakes twice.

"You privation to get into them arsenic you cognize they are going to travel hard astatine you successful those archetypal 20 minutes," added Aldcroft.

"It is fierce. Especially erstwhile you look the haka, that truly pumps you up. You past commencement the crippled and the archetypal 10 minutes are truthful physical. Nothing similar you ever person experienced before.

"You conscionable person to support going and going, but you benignant of get the adrenaline unreserved done the crippled arsenic it is that large a crippled that you truly privation to win. You conscionable spell for it."

Emily Scarratt did not instantly rediscover the signifier that made her World Player of the Year successful 2019 and a prima of the 2014 World Cup last victory.

The 34-year-old, who returned earlier this year aft much than a twelvemonth retired pursuing cervix surgery, volition articulation Sarah Hunter and Rochelle Clark successful making 100 starts for the Red Roses connected Saturday.

The 112-cap centre came backmost earlier the Six Nations but Mitchell felt she looked "sluggish" successful presumption of "hitting lines" having simply not played capable rugby, resulting successful lone 1 commencement against Italy.

Mitchell wanted to usage Scarratt's organisation skills astatine wrong centre during that run and felt her top-end velocity whitethorn not person been wherever it erstwhile was to play her accustomed relation astatine 13.

However, an wounded to regular starting extracurricular centre Meg Jones has opened the doorway and Mitchell believes Scarratt is present backmost up to speed.

"Emily is looking truly bully and has trained good implicit the past 7 weeks," the England manager added.

"That instauration from pre-season has enactment her successful bully stead and allowed her to absorption connected her earthy position.

"Now she has a afloat play of pre-season nether her belt, her acceleration has returned, which has allowed her to absorption connected hitting the shot [at pace] and each her different determination making that comes earthy astatine 13."

The 34-year-old is 1 of 3 England players to past from New Zealand's past sojourn to Twickenham successful December 2012.

Experience of beating the Black Ferns is 1 thing, but acquisition of beating them astatine the location of English rugby is another.

It is acquisition that could beryllium important connected 27 September adjacent twelvemonth erstwhile the Rugby World Cup last is played connected the aforesaid stage, with these large rivals favourites to beryllium gathering again.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Scarratt, Heard, Breach; Aitchison, Hunt; Carson, Atkin-Davies, Bern, Aldcroft, Ward, Feaunati, M Packer (capt), Matthews.

Replacements: Cokayne, Botterman, Muir, Talling, Brock, L Packer, Harrison, Rowland.

New Zealand: Holmes; Leti-I'iga, Brunt, Demant (co-captain), Vahaakolo; King, Joseph; Viliko, Ponsonby, Kalounivale, Bremner, Roos, Mikaele-Tu'u, Tukuafu (co-captain), Olsen-Baker.

Replacements: Lolohea, Henwood, Rule, Vaipulu, Sae, Hohaia, Du Plessis, Tui.

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)