Tattyana Heard Confident England Can Cope Without Jones in WXV Rugby Warm-Up

The England Center is focused on maintaining Red Roses team form despite Megan Jones' absence

Tatyana Heard views Jones's absence as a considerable loss, but she perceives it as an opportunity for others to step into the position /

By Priscilla Jepchumba

Tatyana Heard is convinced England can compensate for Megan Jones's serious lack of a center partner as the team prepares for a WXV warm-up match against France at Kingsholm on Saturday.

Heard and Jones provided a great combination in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, where the English women’s Team emerged as the competition's winner and clinched another Grand Slam.

However, Jones, who was expected to feature strongly in this month’s matches, will likely miss out through a significant ankle operation.

Heard regards Jones’s absence as a “massive loss” for the team, but she sees it positively, as it opens the door for others to take up the position.

"It creates opportunities for other people," said Heard. "It should be an interesting few weeks and an exciting time for whoever gets that opportunity."

Speaking on Meg’s absence, Heard said, "Meg is huge for us; her personality on and off the field is massive. " She added, "I think the biggest difference is the noise level; no one can be louder than Meg.”

"I think the biggest different is the noise level, no one can be louder than Meg.”

“Noticing one person's voice to another, I think is something that goes unsaid, but it is a big thing. If I get used to hearing one person's voice I can tune into that very easily. Having to listen more to tune into a different tone, is a big difference for me," she added.

Emily Scarratt, Helena Rowland, and Phoebe Murray are some players who could replace Jones on the team.

However, she is happy to toil for the group and eagerly awaits the forthcoming match against France and New Zealand.

“We always want to improve our previous performance, and our previous performance was France out in Bordeaux (a 42-21 win). And that, again, was a really, really tough game,” said Heard.

“So, I think this weekend and next weekend are huge opportunities for us. When you come up against the top four teams in the world, you want to beat them,” she said.