QUEEN MAKER

Under coach JOHN MITCHELL, England have become the best team on the planet.

- JOE ROBINSON

But can he lead them to a first World Cup title in 11 years?

JOHN MITCHELL is no stranger to pressure. In 2003, aged just 39, he led the All Blacks into the Men's Rugby World Cup as head coach. A place where the only respected result is a winning one, he had been appointed to end the country's 16-year wait for a second title in a rare period where New Zealand weren't the best team in the world. Mitchell also worked underneath notorious taskmaster Eddie Jones as England’s defence coach during the 2019 World Cup and has held various head coach roles in South Africa, a nation where escaping rugby is practically impossible. So it’s no surprise that Mitchell is taking the fact that red-hot favourites England will host the biggest World Cup in women’s rugby history well within his stride. As we went to press, they had lost just one of their past 57 Tests. time. We have it in training with the depth of our squad. We have it for four years with every Six Nations and WXV, so we are used to pressure,” Mitchell tells RW.

“The important thing about a World Cup, particuarly at home, is being optimistic rather than pessimistic about it. Not creating stories around the negativities that a home World Cup can bring, treating it like a normal occasion.

“Ultimately, we don’t have a right to contest the final at Twickenham; we need to earn that.”

At the Red Roses squad announcement in July, Mitchell doubled down on this attitude. When asked whether winning was the only acceptable outcome, he said: “If it doesn’t happen, it’s not going to define me. It’s something we’re very keen to do, but it’s not the only driver that drives us.

“We have a greater driver than just winning. We just want to be the best version we can be and should we be the most deserving come September then we’ll deserve it.”