England defence coach Sarah Hunter will not travel to Canada this fall. October 1st She is preparing for the birth of her first child.
The former England captain will continue in his role at England, assisted by England scrum coach Nathan Catt, England manager John Mitchell has revealed.
The 38-year-old Hunter has expressed his hope to return to his role by the 2025 Six Nations Championship.
Mitchell told BBC Sport she was willing to be flexible about her return.
“She’s really, really passionate,” Mitchell said. “But you also have to respect that things can change when you become a mom.”
“We are happy to provide that space and are confident that Sarah will be there to support us as we prepare for the World Cup, but it is really important that she settles in really well as a mother first.”
The 38-year-old announced her pregnancy with husband Nathan Smith on her Instagram page., external During the summer.
She is the most capped player of all time with 141 caps for her country and will continue to play while England remain in Vancouver until the birth of her child.
“She’ll be the one leading, Cathy (Nathan Catt) will be the forwards on the ground and I’ll be the backs,” Mitchell added.
“With Sarah arriving early, obviously Cathy will be leading and I will remain in my role as manager, but there have been a number of changes over the summer with Deacon (Lewis Deacon) having surgery on his herniated disc, so I have had to be more active on the pitch.
“I think I ran about 4 kilometers today. I’m actually enjoying it. But ultimately, I have to be careful not to get too caught up in it.
“We still have a long way to go, but we have everything planned out.”
Mitchell had concerns that Hunter was getting “too close” during the sessions, so she took steps to ensure she could coach from a safe distance.
England captain Marley Packer said there had been little change for her players.
“She’s got a big belly, she’s really growing,” Packer told BBC Sport.
“She’s the same as she was when she was a player. She’s very diligent in what she does. That’s the Sarah Hunter way, you can’t expect anything different.”
The Hunters will continue their face-to-face encounters with the Red Rose in September, with warm-up tests against France and New Zealand ahead of WXV1 in Canada from September 29 to October 13.
