With the men’s Six Nations tournament coming to an exciting conclusion, with Ireland becoming the first team to win back-to-back Grand Slams, attention now turns to the women’s Six Nations tournament.
Like never before, interest in the Women’s Six Nations Cup is at an all-time high and the opening match provided an outstanding experience.
supreme ruler of england
England’s recent run of two wins in the Guinness Six Nations tournament should come as no surprise to anyone. No team has lost a game in the tournament since the fourth round in Grenoble in March 2018, and even then, it was by a single point, with France narrowly winning 18-17.
Thanks to their win over Wales on Saturday, they have now won 26 games in a row in the Championship, and have been incredibly consistent, with their aim being to make it 29 wins and secure a sixth successive Championship title by the end of April.
Given all this repeated success, it may seem strange that they still have a lot of work to do to perfect the latest iteration of the game. Here are RugbyPass’s key takeaways from what unfolded at Ashton Gate:
Bumper Bristol Attendance
Before we talk about England’s match dynamics, the first thing that demands praise is the Ashton Gate crowd. 19,705 tickets for the Rugby Six Nations. As expected, a sports team that wins matches should not be more attractive.
It is a huge achievement to see the appeal of the women’s game continuing, with more fans buying tickets to watch the women’s Rugby Six Nations matches.
The allure of the red rose is growing and with the 2025 Rugby World Cup coming to England in 17 months’ time, women’s rugby could very well be in its prime.
The crowd on Saturday was a record for an England home game outside of Twickenham and Bristol provided the perfect backdrop. The city centre was a great lunchtime setting with rugby kits everywhere and that family-friendly atmosphere continued at BS3.
Ashton Gate is one of eight venues on the RWC roster. If this weekend’s Round 2 Championship fixtures are any indication of what’s to come, women’s rugby will be in for a historic treat when the 16-team finals begin next year. We can’t wait.
Decomposition of victory
Now let me start nitpicking. A quick look at the Six Nations table shows that England are doing well. Two wins, ten points, first place—what’s there to dislike? But their head-to-head record this year is on the downside compared to 2023.
The win was impressive, but fans with tickets to the Six Nations will agree that the 2024 performances were lackluster. In 2023, England were crushed 68-5 by Italy, while Wales were thrashed 59-3 in Cardiff.
A total of 127 points were scored, including 21 tries, while only 8 points were conceded.
This time, with games in Parma and Bristol underway, England’s strike rate has dropped by 33 points to 94. The 16 tries scored are five fewer than in 2023, while they have conceded 10, two more than in the corresponding fixture a year ago.
There has been a lot of talk about the desire to expand their attack, to use their edges more and not rely so heavily on rolling mauls like they did at the World Cup in New Zealand, where they were unfortunately knocked out in the final in November 2022.
There was only one try scored on Saturday, with Lark Atkin-Davies rushing in for a four-try bonus point in the first half of added time. It was a brilliantly executed move that no one could dispute, but the greater emphasis on moving the ball resulted in a sloppy spill.
On the positive side, England outscored Wales 15-2 in line breaks and 13-1 in off-loads. Their ability to quickly switch from their own 22 and stretch the Welsh defence on the counterattack was a key factor in making the half-time scoreline 24-3. The visitors were in danger of getting even closer as they had the ball in the red zone for much of the time.
Most Red Rose fans would agree that now is a better time to rest, but it is time to improve. The England women’s team have been the best in women’s rugby, but have missed out on winning the World Cup twice.
In the last tournament, the Red Roses were the clear favorites and the best team of the season, but lost to hosts New Zealand in the final.
The 2025 World Cup may be their best chance at redemption.
‘New’ madness
Kiwi John Mitchell is two games into his first managerial role since completing a single season with the South African Bulls in 2018 and taking on the role of England assistant coach under Eddie Jones.
After he and Jones went their separate ways, taking on other senior coaching roles at Wasp and Japan, he was a surprise when he was tapped to succeed Simon Middleton as England women’s manager.
In a sport that is constantly changing, six years under a manager is a long time to go without making a decision, so how England develop under his watch will be closely monitored.
He has been prone to overly intense coaching styles since his joyless spell as All Blacks boss two decades ago.
Making players nervous is not a good trait to have, so Packer’s rapport with his teammates will be a key factor in his success in his new role.
A few of his soundbites after the game in Bristol suggested encouragingly that he was relaxing his ways. The word fun was mentioned with a smile. So was the word trust.
“Girls trust me, and they trust themselves,” he suggested. “That’s the biggest connection you can make when you expand your game or ask girls to go places they’ve never been before and support themselves.”
Only time will tell what will ultimately happen with this ‘biggest connection’, but for now, the early signs are positive.
