Lucy Packer will make her maiden international start when England take on Wales in Round 3 of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations this weekend.

Scrum-half Packer comes into to the Red Roses XV for the first time, as one of eight changes made by head coach Simon Middleton from the starting team that beat Italy last time out.

Winger Jess Breach also comes in at Kingsholm for the 4.45pm kick-off on Saturday, in what will be her first Test appearance since May 2021.

Captain Sarah Hunter leads the side at No.8, while Abby Dow returns, but this time deployed at full-back.

Middleton has also moved Poppy Cleall from No.8 to lock for the clash with Wales, with England looking to maintain their 100% record and deny their opponents the Triple Crown.

Lydia Thompson, who scored a hat-trick in the win over Italy, this time misses out with a minor injury.

But outside centre Emily Scarratt returns to the starting fifteen, while Zoe Harrison and Helena Rowland continue at 10-12.

Marlie Packer also returns to Middleton’s team at openside flanker to win her 81st cap.

Ahead of the clash, England head coach Middleton said: “We’re really looking forward to our first home game of this year’s Six Nations.

“We’re pleased with our performances to date and this weekend provides another opportunity for other players to step up.

“Selection has been very tough and I know some players will be bitterly disappointed to not have made the line-up. We said all along we would rotate the squad and we have again this week with another eight either positional or personnel changes in the starting line-up alone.

“However, that also came with the requirement of training well enough to merit selection. Some players have pulled up a little short of that mark and given the intense competitive nature of the squad you just can’t afford to not be at your best.

“At the same time that doesn’t necessarily rule them out of the rest of the competition or any squad going forward. Those decisions rest with them and how they react to the disappointment of not making the squad this time around.”

This year’s TikTok Women’s Six Nations stands to be the most accessible in the Championship’s history.

Spanning 136 countries, and available on terrestrial and streaming platforms, the Women’s Championship has never had such comprehensive broadcast coverage.

Not to mention Title Partner TikTok reaching fans via its entertainment platform with exclusive W6N content. In what is a huge year of Women’s rugby, the TikTok Women’s Six Nations, which once again has its own window in the international rugby calendar, is set up reach more fans than ever before.

Middleton added: “Wales’ new contracts have galvanised and lifted their group and that’s shown in the nature of their performances and two wins out of two to date.

“They have looked well organised and have finished strong in both games, that’s testimony to the work Ioan (Cunningham) and his staff group have put in and of course the attitude of the players. It’s great to see and makes for a top-class game and a stadium that will be bouncing.

“A good number of their players play their club rugby in the Allianz Premier 15s and they have some real talent.

“We’ve had another good week of preparation and would also like to thank Maidenhead RFC for making us so welcome for one of our sessions.

“It’s great to hear there are over 12,000 tickets sold. Kingsholm is a fantastic stadium in a real rugby hotbed and as players and staff we can’t wait for Saturday.”

The TikTok Women’s Six Nations is more accessible than ever before. To find out how you can watch the Women’s Championship visit: womens.sixnationsrugby.com/tv/