Thursday 7 August 2014 17:05, UK
Natasha Brennan has been called up to England's World Cup squad after Lydia Thompson was forced to pull out of the tournament due to injury.
Winger Thompson scored two tries in the 42-7 victory over Samoa in their opening match but injured her groin in the warm-up ahead of England's second game against Spain on Tuesday.
Richmond wing Brennan will replace her in the 26-player squad and England head coach Gary Street is convinced she will be an able replacement.
"This is really unfortunate news for Lydia. She has worked extremely hard to get into this squad and she has come into form at just the right time, scoring two tries on her tournament debut," Street told the RFU’s official website.
"It is extremely disappointing for her and us but at the same time it is fantastic to be able to call up a player of Natasha's calibre.
"She has been part of our World Cup training squad and she missed out by the narrowest of margins when it came to final selection. We are really excited by what Natasha can bring after a fantastic Sevens Series last season, where she finished as England's top try scorer."
Brennan has impressed for England in Rugby 7s, scoring 16 tries in 12 games, but will be keen to add to her two caps in the regular format of the game.
Brennan may get the chance to shine when England play Canada in their next group game on Saturday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 1 at 2:30pm.
