Zoe Aldcroft calmness personified in face of French pressure

Telegraph

26-04-2025

The loudest roar from the Twickenham crowd on a warm and muggy afternoon did not greet any of England's seven tries. Nor did it celebrate a critical defensive turnover or urge a driving maul to eat up more metres.
Instead, it arrived in the 79th minute as the Red Roses walked slowly up the pitch to restart the match for one final phase with France threatening to snap a run of 25 consecutive wins and poop a Grand Slam party that had been revelling in the April sunshine for a few hours.
England, to their credit, responded with clear heads and an obvious plan that had been devised by Zoe Aldcroft and their other leaders. Zoe Harrison struck the ball long, allowing Abby Dow to sweep a white blanket of chasers up to the opposition 22. Seemingly liberated for so much of the second period, France suddenly clammed up.
A horrible mix-up between Taina Maka and Lina Queyroi coughed up possession and ended the match, capping a seventh consecutive title. John Mitchell might have wanted a clean catch, just to test the mettle of his charges and run another tricky training scenario.
Notwithstanding a bitty display that left them rather fortunate to prevail with victory here, England are a special team with a special skipper. On the spot for the last mistake, just behind Dow, was Aldcroft. She managed to stay on her feet, yet seemed understandably spent. Amid the chaos of a wild game, the 28-year-old had been a pillar of excellence.
🏆🤩 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations Champions! #GuinnessW6N @RedRosesRugby pic.twitter.com/hEotCJNmBH
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 26, 2025
Almost two hours previously, Aldcroft had set the tone for England's pristine start by rising to pluck the kick-off out of the sky. Such skills are made to look routine by the 2021 World Player of the Year, who finished with a staggering 20 tackles and a fine solo try as part of a performance that oozed class and calm.
Subtle moments away from the television cameras are often where one discerns the true character of a team and another instant during the first period underscored Aldcroft's status as an indispensable focal point for England.
It occurred just before the half-hour mark just after Pauline Bourdon-Sansus pounced on a fumble from Harrison to score the visitors' second try. Harrison stared at Natasha Hunt, who had sent a pass skidding toward her toes, bringing about a spill that cost seven points.
Any lingering frustration was eased in an instant by Aldcroft, who lifted both hands above her head to assemble her colleagues under the posts and refocus them. Aldcroft would need to repeat the ploy on several occasions over a frenetic 80 minutes, because England conceded six tries and committed a litany of errors.
Make no mistake, this was a warning for the Red Roses. Their defence was lacerated in different ways; both up the middle by France's up-the-guts offloading flow and also when more width was put on the ball. Kelly Arbey, Joanna Grisez and Morgane Bourgeois were brilliant across the back three and left England reeling.
When they dwell on the positive aspects of this match, Mitchell and his players can be assured that they produced flashes of their very best in attack. In the 49th minute, one such passage saw Dow freed on the right flank from a long Harrison pass.
Two phases later, via Alex Matthews' direct carry, Harrison sold a dummy before dancing into space. As the last defender came into view, Aldcroft surged onto her fly-half's left shoulder and had the strength to stretch over despite the efforts of a scrambling Bourdon-Sansus.
🤩 Captain Fantastic! Zoe Aldcroft crosses the line for @RedRosesRugby 💪 #GuinnessW6N pic.twitter.com/NbXchNzclA
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 26, 2025
A 38-21 cushion proved invaluable because England played as if the shadow of the World Cup was hindering them. The psychology of this tournament will have been uniquely challenging, no doubt. Now, after the celebrations, they can steady themselves.
Among the most punchy and significant selection calls made by Mitchell since he succeeded Simon Middleton as head coach was his decision to switch the captaincy from Marlie Packer to Aldcroft back in January.
There are more to come, of course. Mitchell will have to omit some excellent players when he whittles down his final squad this summer. But as long as he has Aldcroft as his on-field leader, the Red Roses can remain confident of World Cup glory.