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The Guardian
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Red Roses triumph again but cannot afford another World Cup wobble
There are two contrasting schools of thought after England's grand-slam clinching win against France on Saturday. According to John Mitchell, the Red Roses' head coach, his side's nervy 43-42 victory was ideal preparation for the World Cup this year. Alternatively, as the former England hooker Brian Moore succinctly put it during post-match TV analysis: 'If they were playing New Zealand, would they have got away with that?' Between them Mitchell and Moore know plenty about World Cup disappointment. The former was head coach of the All Blacks side beaten in the semi-finals of the 2003 men's tournament in Australia. Moore was part of the England team edged out by the Wallabies in the final in 1991. They have spent enough time in top-level rugby to know how abruptly best-laid plans can be foiled and that wanting something badly guarantees you zilch. What we do know is that the narrative surrounding the Red Roses shifted slightly over the weekend. This is still transparently a very good team. Seven successive Six Nations titles do not happen by accident. The ledger shows one defeat in their past 56 games. But utterly impregnable? A sure thing? Not on Saturday's evidence. Yes, they still won. Yes, the cowboy hats were fun. Yes, the outstanding Zoe Aldcroft and Alex Matthews dragged them through in the end. But for anyone who was in New Zealand for the last World Cup in 2022 there were uncomfortable echoes of their fateful final defeat against the Black Ferns. England are supposed to have moved on from that crushing disappointment but, if so, they still have a way to go. The experienced Mitchell was hired specifically to ensure this 'So near and yet so far' pattern does not repeat itself. Team and coach are developing a bond and, once again, they have been blowing the other home nations away. At first glance you could make the case that, in terms of serious foreboding, there is nothing major to see here. That view, though, does not necessarily take account of the two 'p' words that still hover over this high-achieving squad. Pressure and psychology – the ability to harness the latter to cope with the former – are the Red Roses' biggest enemies, arguably more so than any of their opponents. And when their rivals re-watch Saturday's game they may just conclude that, far from being a procession, this year's World Cup may yet offer opportunity. Because beyond the second-half failure to deal with France's direct ball-carrying and shut down the threats out wide is something more fundamental. Let's call it the Rory McIlroy paradox. One minute you're smashing it miles down the middle of the fairway and looking a million dollars. The next you're freezing mentally and duffing it into the creek. When things start going wrong, wresting back control can be easier said than done. McIlroy won the Masters, but only after a playoff having been four shots ahead with nine holes to play. He admitted he had come into the tournament with years of baggage which, at times, had been savagely difficult to deal with. This Red Roses squad are not massively dissimilar. Enough of them were in New Zealand – or watching on TV – to know what sheer gnawing horror feels like. Imagine they had been playing in a World Cup final at the weekend and, as Moore observed, given New Zealand as many chances as they gave France? The visitors were in quixotic mood themselves, but next time they face England they will do so with less trepidation, having scored six tries and sensed their opponents' rising panic. The glib response is that Ellie Kildunne will hopefully be fit next time and England, who at one stage were 31-7 up, will be neither as static nor as average as they were at times in the second half. Equally, though, a degree of self doubt will now be harder to ignore. What if the biggest obstacle to the Red Roses is, ultimately, not New Zealand or France or Canada, but themselves? And what if the uneasy truth is that, under proper pressure, they remain as mortal as anybody else? Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Which brings to mind another World Cup, this time the men's version in 2003. Then, as now, England were strong favourites. In their last game of that year's Six Nations they went to Dublin and tore Ireland apart 42-6. That summer they flew south and beat New Zealand and Australia in successive weeks. They could not have been better placed heading into the tournament. And what happened? They did bag the swag but, not unlike McIlroy, only after extra time. In the euphoria everyone glossed over the unthinkable alternative. As Sir Clive Woodward admitted a couple of years ago, defeat would have stalked him for life. 'I don't think I'd have turned out a very nice person. I think there would have been a bitterness I would have massively struggled to get rid of.' This time around, for a multitude of reasons, expectations will be even higher. Never mind the outcome, the Red Roses will be expected to take women's rugby to the masses and inspire the nation in addition to focusing on the main prize. They have it in them to do it all but the potential distractions will be huge. Which is why the theory that Saturday's narrow escape will enhance their chances of claiming the holy grail is only half the story. Their main rivals may be galvanised and a few inner demons have been reactivated. Suddenly the World Cup feels less of a carefree carnival and more like a tense tightrope walk. Because when everything is on the line, England still have a propensity to wobble. Never mind the cowboy hats, it's the top two inches underneath that will really matter. This is an extract taken from our weekly rugby union email, the Breakdown. To sign up, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
BBC News
26-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
England edge France by a point to claim Grand Slam
Women's Six NationsEngland (31) 43Tries: Dow 2, Sing 2, Atkin-Davies, MacDonald, Aldcroft Cons: Harrison 4France (21) 42Tries: Arbez, Bourdon, Menager, Arbey, Bourgeois, Grisez Cons: Bourgeois 6 England held off a late France fightback to secure a fourth consecutive Women's Six Nations Grand Slam and seventh straight victory at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, extends the Red Roses' winning run to 25 games as they count down to the home Rugby World Cup that starts in front of a crowd of 37,573, the hosts came out of the blocks fast to score the opening try through the prolific Abby Carla Arbez quickly responded, before John Mitchell's side ruthlessly scored four tries to take Emma Sing, in for the injured Ellie Kildunne, grabbed two tries, while hooker Lark Atkin-Davies and in-form wing Claudia MacDonald also a dropped ball by Zoe Harrison gifted scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus a try and France capitalised on that momentum when centre Marine Menager scored to cut the gap to 10 points at the Zoe Aldcroft restored England's advantage but that was quickly cancelled out by Kelly Arbey, who produced a sensational finish down the and Morgane Bourgeois then traded tries before Joanna Grisez raced away to set up a nervy finish in a highly entertaining and evenly balanced second last defeat in the Six Nations came against France in 2018 and their record run of championship wins has now moved to 34 is John Mitchell's second Grand Slam since taking over side in the autumn of 2023, with the Red Roses last tasting defeat in the World Cup final by New Zealand in to follow. Line-ups England: Sing; Dow, Jones, Heard, MacDonald; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft (capt), Feaunati, Cokayne, Clifford, Bern, Galligan, Burton, L Packer, Aitchison, Bourgeois; Grisez, M Menager, Vernier, Arbwy; Arbez, Bourdon; Brosseau, Bigot, Khalfaoui, M Feleu (capt), Fall-Raclot, Escudero, Champon, T Riffonneau, Mwayembe, Bernadou, Zago, Berthoumieu, Maka, Chambon, Maggie Cogger-Orr (NZ)TMO: Quinton Immelman (SA)
Telegraph
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Marlie Packer given chance to force way back into England first team
As auditions for World Cup squads go, this weekend could hardly be bigger for Marlie Packer. Packer is one of England's most experienced players but has found herself slipping down the pecking order in the Red Roses' fiercely competitive squad in the John Mitchell era. The Saracens flanker is among a flurry of changes Mitchell has made for Saturday's trip to Welford Road to face Scotland, where England know another victory would set up a Grand Slam decider with France at Twickenham next week. Whether Packer will feature in what is expected to be a marquee showdown against Les Bleues will depend on whether she capitalises on this precious opportunity to force her way back into the first team. A year ago, Packer was nailed-on as a starter in England's starting side. But the openside flanker has found herself light on game minutes in the mix-and-match squads that Mitchell has fielded in this year's championship and was notably left out of what were seen as the stronger XVs selected to take on Wales and Ireland. Packer was demoted as England's captain at the start of the year, with Mitchell challenging the 2014 World Cup winner to focus on delivering 'big performances on the pitch' amid intense competition in the back row. With the rise of the dynamic Sadia Kabeya, the 35-year-old has been edged out of the picture, albeit that she remains an important part of the Red Roses leadership team. In a measure of both her longevity and strike rate, the 109-times capped international is one score away from bringing up her 50th try for her country. Packer's only start in this Women's Six Nations came in England's opening-round win over Italy, but it is a sign of the esteem in which she is still held that she joined the group as a travelling reserve for England's emphatic drubbings over Wales and Ireland. 'Marlie's a fantastic leader and always will be whether she's wearing the armband or not,' said second row Abbie Ward. 'She was always an incredible leader before, she's stepped up so naturally, nothing has changed. Whether she's playing or not, Marlie is always inputting. 'She's always helping the squad get better. Even if she's not on the pitch, she brings her experience, that energy and that ferocity, but she also has this other side where she brings a calmness to the squad. She's been in tough games, she's been on the sides of huge wins and also losses. That's just invaluable to us. When she brings that ferocity, that energy, the aggression that we need, we feed off of as a team.' Packer quickly made peace with Mitchell's high-profile decision to promote Zoe Aldcroft as his captain back in January, telling the BBC in an interview the following month that a new leader was 'the right thing' for the team in a year when England will target World Cup glory on home soil, and her contribution to the set-up remains high. 'The energy she has within the group is unbelievably noticeable,' Nathan Catt, the Red Roses defence coach who has been overseeing England's scrum this tournament, said of Packer. 'She gives clarity, she gives energy.' In a clue that England could look to deploy more of a running game against Scotland, who slipped to an underwhelming 25-17 defeat to Italy in Edinburgh last week, Ellie Kildunne, Meg Jones and Jade Shekells are part of a new-look back line that promises to pack punch and pace. The trio all featured for Great Britain's sevens team at last year's Paris Olympics, with Shekells looking to make the most of her first Test start at inside centre.
BBC News
12-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Calm' England have 'great capacity' to regroup
While the crowd in Cork rose to their feet to clap off an Ireland side who were only 7-5 down against the favourites for the Rugby World Cup, England's leaders blocked out all the noise and gathered in a Zoe Aldcroft led the discussion with lock Abbie Ward, fly-half Zoe Harrison, scrum-half Natasha Hunt and centre Meg the remaining players were off down the tunnel, but the Red Roses' leadership team - like they did at the Principality Stadium in round two - took time to debrief before hearing from head coach John Mitchell and his assistants in the changing had frustrated Mitchell's side for large parts of the first half, and took a deserved lead through a try by wing Amee-Leigh Morwenna Talling's score helped the visitors to a narrow half-time lead, and six unanswered second-half tries emphatically ended any possibility of a shock defeat."The half-time dressing room was calm," Harrison told BBC Sport."It was all about how we could take pressure off ourselves and to just work on the successes we were getting."The Red Roses have not lost since their World Cup final defeat by New Zealand in 2022, with Mitchell's side rarely even close to defeat in their incredible 23-game winning most recent proper challenge came back in October against Canada at WXV1, where again they only held a 7-5 lead at half-time before eventually winning 21-12 to retain their provided a similar exercise, which is exactly what England want before a home World Cup kicks off in August."We actually really enjoyed that test. We needed that and it's good for the game to have a first half like that," England attack coach Lou Meadows told BBC Sport."It was a physical battle and all about winning the collision and we just didn't do that in the first half."They fixed it in the changing room themselves. It was about the collision and winning the carry, they spoke about the one action they needed to achieve that."We wanted to keep it simple, clear that up and then we can play fast." The message about winning the collision from the leadership team quickly came to fruition when Jess Breach burst down the wing to score a disallowed try just over 30 seconds into the second was the start of a free-flowing half of rugby from the Red Roses, led by fly-half Harrison, who despite being known for her strong kicking game was lively with ball in hand."I really enjoyed Zoe's running game today, we know she can kick and distribute but I just liked how she got her head up early and saw space," former England fly-half and 2014 World Cup-winner Katy Daley-Mclean told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly."She was solving the problems in front of her, she is starting to develop into a really well-rounded 10 and coming into form at exactly the right time."The biggest swing came when Mitchell unloaded his bench, which saw replacement prop Sarah Bern score twice and Kelsey Clifford grab her first international made 13 changes to his starting XV from the opening win over Italy to the hammering of Wales in Cardiff as he aims to build "two teams" before the World Cup."One thing England have is a massively good bench, Sarah Bern came on and was outstanding," added Mclean."Kelsey Clifford and Maddie Feaunati were brilliant, the list is endless. They all came on and added."It is great for England as it is competition but they know that very few teams in the world can live with you for 80 minutes and your bench."England, who next face Scotland in Leicester next Saturday, are chasing a seventh Women's Six Nations title in a row and a fourth successive Grand are the last team to beat the Red Roses in the Six Nations back in 2018 and, after a convincing win over Wales, remain on course to set up a potential Grand Slam-decider at Allianz Stadium on 26 Red Roses head coach Simon Middleton says England need to address how they begin games."They need to look at how they start the game, they struggled last week in the start against Wales and again this week," Middleton told BBC Sport."What they do have is a great capacity to regroup themselves and that strength in depth, but against better sides they won't get presented with as many opportunities."Other sides will not fall away as much as Ireland did."Come World Cup time - in front of what are likely to be record-breaking crowds - being calm and regrouping under pressure is certainly a handy skill to call upon.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ireland must 'win the little moments' against England
Full-back Stacey Flood says Ireland must "win the little moments" when they come up against world number one side and defending champions England in their Women's Six Nations match in Cork on a sevens specialist who was part of the Ireland team at the Paris Olympics, is back in the 15s fold and eager to face England for the first time in the latter earned a shock win over then world number one ranked New Zealand during their WXV1 campaign in the autumn and Flood hopes they can cause another upset."It's going to be tough but we've shown what we can do against bigger sides and we really test ourselves and believe in ourselves," she said."We just have to have confidence in the abilities we have and win the little moments and then see what the outcome is. "You shouldn't be afraid who is standing next to you because on the starting whistle it's just 15 women against 15 women."Ireland finished third in last year's Six Nations and gave France a scare in this year's tournament, before seeing off Italy in their second match of the competition."I wasn't involved last year but I know the team has come on leaps and bounds in what we're doing now and we've shown that and we've built so much throughout the last 12 months."It's a completely different side and we have way more belief and confidence in our abilities and our structure and we are one unit. I think that will stand to us a lot this weekend in Cork."Flood, who can also play at centre or fly-half, says she is happy to "take a green jersey in any position" and welcomes the opportunity to test herself against the Red Roses' back three."Coming up against one of the best back threes in the world is going to be great. There's no better way to test yourself than playing against the best and we are well capable of it."Our kicking game is obviously a big part of our game and we've been working on that non stop for the past few months so I think it will stand to us. "They will have a good kicking game so there should be good battles but hopefully we'll come out on top in most of them."
