Over the past eight years there has not been a more dominant rugby team on the planet than the Red Roses, and yet the one major prize they are chasing has eluded them.
Since the start of 2017, England’s women have won 87 matches and lost just four. The exceptions to the rule: a Six Nations clash with France back in 2018 lost by a single point and a defeat to New Zealand in a summer tournament in USA the following year. Oh, and two World Cup finals against the Black Ferns.
The Red Roses have swept all before them since the most recent of those – the 34-31 loss at Eden Park three years ago.
As they prepare for the biggest World Cup to date, on their own patch, the gulf between the Red Roses and the rest is the biggest it has ever been.
Only France have managed to stay within a score of them in the 27-match winning streak that they are currently on – doing so twice.
In case you were worried that Les Bleues might close the gap by the World Cup, England crushed the French 40-6 in their final preparation match before the World Cup.
England crushed the French 40-6 on 9 August (Photo: Getty)The average scoreline over that period is 49-12 – an indication of how England have developed their game from one based on forward dominance to a more expansive approach.
That has come under the leadership of John Mitchell, appointed in 2023 as a landmark moment within the women’s game when he succeeded Simon Middleton.
Other than Wayne Smith’s short-term spell leading the Black Ferns – overseeing their rejuvenation just in time to win a home World Cup – it is hard to think of a coach with greater pedigree who has worked within the women’s game.
Among Mitchell’s previous successes are spells as forwards coach early in the Sir Clive Woodward era for England men, then two decades on for the same team, working as the defence coach under Eddie Jones. And of course, he spent two years as the head coach of the All Blacks – the most prestigious job in rugby.
That Mitchell was willing to take on the Red Roses job was an indication of how much the women’s game has grown in recent years, particularly in England.
More importantly, the New Zealander has demonstrated a level of humility that was absolutely necessary when stepping out of his comfort zone into a completely new environment.
John Mitchell has helped improve the already impressive Red Roses (Photo: Getty)Claudia MacDonald, the England winger, explained the impact Mitchell has had since taking the reins, both in terms of a change of game plan, but also a mindset within the squad.
She said: “John Mitchell has been an absolute game changer for us. It is always about having the right coach at the right time and he is the coach we needed at this time.
“He is an incredibly honest person. He is himself and he does silly things which makes him more human. It means that we can do silly things, and it reduces the expectation on each of us to be perfect.
“Naturally we’re all incredibly competitive, but I think the way that he conducts himself, he drives high standards, he wants us to be the best version of ourselves, but he also recognises that comes with making mistakes along the journey. He values the mistakes and the errors as much as he does the bits that we get right.”
England’s maul has always been their greatest weapon. That is what made the last World Cup final defeat sting even more. It was a lost lineout five metres from the line that cost them the game and the title. What should have been their bread and butter cost England at the most important moment.
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Now, however, they have shown that they are capable of doing so much more. When you have the best pack in the game with unrivalled depth, it can be the platform to unleash your backs and England have certainly done so.
It is why Ellie Kildunne was able to sweep both the Six Nations Player of the Championship and the World Player of the Year in 2024.
Similarly, Meg Jones has now established herself as arguably England’s most influential back, where she was still playing sevens the last time the World Cup was held.
England are still reaping the rewards of being the first team to go professional, and still being far and away the biggest investors in the women’s game.
While every team in the Six Nations has now embraced professionalism in some form, none are close to the £15m that RFU put into the women’s game.
Then you add in Premiership Women’s Rugby, the standard bearer for domestic women’s rugby, providing not only the entirety of the Red Roses squad but also huge numbers of those who will compete at this World Cup for other nations.
It is a big reason why England’s depth outstrips the field.
So does that mean a victory on 27 September is a foregone conclusion? Even though they have reached new levels of dominance, history teaches us that there are no guarantees at a World Cup.
The Black Ferns always raise their level while Canada are a much better side than they were three years ago when they gave England a scare in the semi-finals.
Still, after eight years of being the world’s best, it is about time England lifted the big one.
With more than 330,000 tickets already sold, and prices starting at just £5 for children and £10 for adults, fans are encouraged to secure their tickets now via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com
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