Mitchell: Red Roses haven’t experimented, we’ve planned for future

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England head coach John Mitchell says his Red Roses have a plan as his side prepare to take on France in their Six Nations Grand Slam decider on Saturday

England Red Roses head coach John Mitchell has told Sky Sports “we haven’t experimented, we’ve planned” as his side seek to make history on Saturday with a fourth Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam in a row.

The Red Roses host France – also unbeaten and bidding for a Grand Slam themselves – at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham this weekend, with the prospect of a home Women’s Rugby World Cup kicking off in England on August 22 in the background.

Mitchell has made eight changes to his side for Saturday’s clash from the fourth-round 59-7 victory over Scotland, and has chopped and changed his XV throughout the Championship.

Rather than labelling it experimentation, though, Mitchell – who is looking to guide England to a first World Cup title since 2014 after consecutive final defeats – says his changes have all been about planning, both for the culmination of the Six Nations and the World Cup later this year.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve experimented, I think we’ve planned for all these teams,” Mitchell told Sky Sports.

Red Roses head coach John Mitchell will look to guide his side to history this weekend – four Grand Slams in a row for the first time

“We obviously had the end in mind, wanted to give the girls some experience of having to be patient, and also give them advanced communication as well.

“We’ve communicated well, we’ve prepared well. We’ve now gone for a team mix I think is tactically right against France. If you’re comparing players, we’ve probably gone for the players who have got the consistent skillsets in the key areas of the game.

“It’s an exciting mix, it’s a powerful mix, and the whole squad wins as a result of this, because I think every week we prepare, we’ve got an opposition [in training] that’s just as good as the team that’s selected.

“So they present plenty of failure at training and create a lot of situations where we’ve got to resolve situations before we go into performance, so it’s been a good prep.”

England have won their four Women’s Six Nations fixtures so far this championship by an average of 46 points

Asked what he’s learned about his squad so far, Mitchell – who’s been in charge of the Red Roses since 2023 – praised his side for their fierce competitiveness and strong team cohesion.

“I’ve learnt they’re extremely competitive, they’re very hard-working, there’s a high level of care and there’s a high level of connection.

“When somebody wobbles – we’re all humans – they make sure they tap the person on the shoulder and realign them and keep them connected to the purpose.

“We’ve come a long way since WXV in Vancouver. The connection within the group is huge. We’re a better rugby team. We know our game’s working, we know it’s the right way.”

England confirmed their side to face France on Thursday but will have to get the job done without current World Player of the Year Ellie Kildunne, who misses out due to a hamstring injury.

Mitchell played down the severity of the injury and emphasised the importance of trusting the whole squad.

“I think she could have got by, from what I know, but it’s important to back everyone within our group.

Star Red Roses full-back and 2024 World Player of the Year Ellie Kildunne will miss Saturday’s Grand Slam decider vs France due to injury

“We don’t want to lose Ellie. Clearly, we obviously want her to be part of our home World Cup as well. It’s really important to back the whole of the squad.

“Emma Sing has been a world-class full-back in Premiership Women’s Rugby, unfortunately we just don’t see her enough in an England jersey. Now she gets a chance on the weekend, which will be really good for her and really good for us.”

England captain Aldcroft looking forward to ‘big Twickenham crowd’ vs favourite opponent

With 40,000 fans expected in Twickenham, England skipper Zoe Aldcroft will captain the side for the fifth Test in a row on Saturday.

“France are one of my favourite teams to play,” she told Sky Sports.

“Despite winning a lot, we have targets we want to meet. So sometimes we can come off a big win and still feel disappointed.

Zoe Aldcroft will captain the Red Roses from blindside flanker for the fifth Test in succession

“I think the biggest thing is just concentrating on the game itself, a couple years ago we played France at the Allianz and those big crowds are something we relish playing in front of. It’ll be great to get out there and see what the team can do.

“For me as a leader, [it’s about] just trying to get people to thrive in that environment and making sure everyone feels they can do their role to the best of their ability.”

England Red Roses team to face France at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham

Red Roses: 15 Emma Sing, 14 Abby Dow, 13 Megan Jones, 12 Tatyana Heard, 11 Claudia MacDonald, 10 Zoe Harrison, 9 Natasha Hunt; 1 Hannah Botterman, 2 Lark Atkin-Davies, 3 Maud Muir, 4 Morwenna Talling, 5 Abbie Ward, 6 Zoe Aldcroft (c), 7 Maddie Feaunati, 8 Alex Matthews.

Replacements: 16 Amy Cokayne, 17 Kelsey Clifford, 18 Sarah Bern, 19 Rosie Galligan, 20 Abi Burton, 21 Lucy Packer, 22 Holly Aitchison, 23 Helena Rowland

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