John Mitchell said England’s one-point win over France was the “ideal” test for his side with the Rugby World Cup on the horizon.
The Red Roses won their seventh consecutive Women’s Six Nations title after holding off a late French comeback at Twickenham. It was by far the closest match for England in this tournament, with their other four matches resulting in dominant wins. The lack of competition that the Red Roses face have led some to believe they needed a loss or a close game to learn from in order to know the answers if challenged at the upcoming World Cup.
“We were sitting in the coaching room and saying: ‘It was ideal for us,’” Mitchell said. “After a really good start we could have put them away, but they got energy through the middle of us and once a French side gets that energy, they eye success. So we always talked about the fact that we probably had to win the game three or four times. I think we had to win it nine times.
“I wasn’t happy with the defence. I thought they got through us too easily through the middle. We adjusted that at half-time, but the edge of the defence was not up to standard.”
Mitchell, who led the team to a slam last year, spoke about how crucial the match was in terms of the occasion and it bringing experience to players who may not have played at Twickenham previously. He said: “In the coaching meeting this morning, we worked out that after today 95% of the girls that are likely to go to the World Cup have all had experience of playing in the stadium; before this game, that wouldn’t have been the case. That has definitely been a situation that we’ve planned for as well to make sure that the broader group had an experience here and now we’ve got a chance to enjoy ourselves on a break and come back and earn the right to contest here again.”
Of the wing Claudia MacDonald, who came off in the second half shortly after receiving treatment, he said: “I don’t think she is too bad. I think it’s bruising. It looked like it could have been a hyper-extension but she seems to be quite comfortable with it. But you never know until she cools down and wakes up tomorrow morning. We’ll see what happens.”
Zoe Aldcroft, the captain and the only Red Roses player to start all five Six Nations matches, said clear messages to her teammates were key when France staged their comeback. “It was about giving energy back into the girls,” she said. “When we were coming in together it was about that one clear point and how we actually action it and it was a big one in defence: getting off of that line and trying to stop them through the middle.”
She agreed that the result would help her captaincy. “Yes. Each week I have tried little different things and looking back to see how to improve.”
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The comeback from the French came too late and that was the feeling from the visitors’ camp. The France wing Marine Ménager, who scored her side’s third try, said: “During the first 20 minutes of the first half, that cost us dearly. We should have started faster and harder. The English were tough and dominant at that point. We have to be more clinical and work harder for the Rugby World Cup.”
The Rugby World Cup will start on 22 August, with the opening game between England and the USA at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
