A record crowd for a Women’s Rugby World Cup opening match is expected with more than 40,000 tickets sold for the game at Stadium of Light.
The attendance could even surpass the record of 42,579 for a Women’s Rugby World Cup match, which was set at the 2022 final.
England, who are favourites to win the tournament, are on a 27-game winning run, with their last defeat coming against New Zealand in that final three years ago.
Locks Abbie Ward and Morwenna Talling continue in the second row, with Hannah Botterman, Amy Cokayne and Maud Muir making up the front row.
Vice-captain Megan Jones starts alongside established midfield partner Tatyana Heard, while Natasha Hunt and Harrison are again the preferred half-back combination.
Jessica Breach, Abby Dow and Ellie Kildunne scored a combined 18 tries in last year’s Six Nations and form a lethal back three.
Kelsey Clifford, Maddie Feaunati and Emma Sing are set for their World Cup debuts from the bench.
Fly-half McKenzie Hawkins is the only member of the USA starting XV without a club connection to England.
Exeter prop Hope Rogers, Ealing Trailfinders back row Kate Zackary and Loughborough Lightning centre Alev Kelter all start.
Saracens’ Lotte Sharp, who won 10 caps for England before switching to the United States – qualifying through her American-born mother – in 2022, is at full-back.
After their Pool A opener against the US, England’s campaign continues with matches against Samoa in Northampton and Australia in Brighton on 30 August and 6 September respectively.
Aldcroft says the tournament can be a catalyst to take the game to new areas of the country and the world.
“For women’s rugby it could be the starting point to ‘boom’ the game all over the world,” she said.
“The ticket numbers are absolutely incredible, it is set to be an incredible tournament and hopefully we can get the momentum behind women’s rugby and women’s sport after the Lionesses’ [European Championship] win.”
