At the Rugby World Cup on Sunday, England will be led by Marlie Packer for the first time when they take on South Africa. With a win, the Red Roses will finish first in Pool C and advance to the quarterfinals.
Although head coach Simon Middleton made 13 changes to the team that defeated rivals France 13-7 on Saturday, Packer kept her spot and was given the unexpected honor of leading the team.
Over her conversation with Middleton regarding taking over the captaincy for the match against South Africa, Packer joked, “I did believe at first he was going to say, ‘you’re dropped for the weekend’.”
“Obviously, I didn’t expect it, and it’s a tremendous honor and privilege. Around noon, we were simply discussing a training session and the game we had just played.
We then started talking about the workforce, and he said, “We’d like to explore that – we’re going to put you on the team. “Playing for the Red Roses and donning that jersey is the greatest honor; leading the squad at a World Cup is incredible.”
Regarding her discussion with Middleton about taking on the captaincy for the match against South Africa, Packer remarked, “I did believe at first he was going to say, ‘you’re dropped for the weekend’.”
“Obviously, I didn’t expect it, and it’s a tremendous honor and privilege. Around noon, we were simply discussing a training session and the game we had just played.