HILLINGDON teacher Emma Croker will have to wait for her first taste of the Women’s Rugby World Cup after being named on the bench for England’s opening game tomorrow.

Croker is head of P.E at Sawkeleys School for Girls and had been hoping to make her World Cup debut when England play Ireland on Friday evening.

But with a 26-strong squad to choose from, England Head Coach Gary Street has gone with an experienced line-up that includes 689 caps.

He said: “The prospect of playing our first game is really exciting. We know our preparations have been excellent and now we are just looking forward to kicking off our world cup campaign.

“Ireland have some good forwards and some skilful backs. They are also very competitive in the line out. We are certainly expecting this to be a tough opener, but at the same time we are confident in our ability.”

England last played Ireland in the RBS 6 Nations and inflicted a 22-5 defeat on the Irish on route to claiming a fifth consecutive and unprecedented RBS 6 Nations title.