Flanker Morwenna Talling has no doubts about who will win the match between North and South in the England camp.
A quiet voice around the squad and a lover of nature in his spare time, Sail Shark likes to hear other people talk, as long as it’s not about the North or the South.
Joining Talling in the north corner are Tatyana Heard, Maddie Feaunati and Zoe Aldcroft.
There may be more people in the south, but the 22-year-old is confident that doesn’t matter.
“There’s quite a few of us and we always joke around camp that it’s North against South,” Talling told BBC Sport.
“I think the North will probably win every time.”
York-born Talling, who starts against New Zealand in WXV1 on Sunday, may have some northern colleagues in camp, but she is a lone wolf when it comes to representing northern clubs.
The rest of the squad consists of Loughborough Lightning, Bristol Bears, Gloucester-Hartpury, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers, Harlequins and Saracens, with Talling deciding to move to Manchester from Loughborough last season to help grow women’s rugby in the North.
Talling has signed a contract until 2025 despite Sale finishing bottom of Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) last season after points were deducted due to a lack of England-qualified players.
Talling, who is studying geography at Manchester Metropolitan University, added: “Sale are struggling and I thought it was important to showcase rugby across the country.”
“It was about showing that rugby is still there and we had some successes last season so it was about showing people that we can still compete.
“The Northern Women’s Rugby Club has grown over the past few years, but we are frustrated that it is not enough.
“That’s why we must continue to strive to achieve better results.”
