England coach John Mitchell believes his facet will face a harder run of fixtures over the following two months than at subsequent yr’s Girls’s Rugby World Cup.
The Crimson Roses are scheduled to play France and New Zealand at Kingsholm and Allianz Stadium on consecutive weekends in September earlier than travelling to Canada to defend their WXV 1 crown.
In Vancouver, Mitchell’s facet will face Canada, USA and the Black Ferns once more as they bid to retain the trophy they gained in New Zealand final November.
Ellie Kildunne | Stronger Than You Assume
Ellie Kildunne | Stronger Than You Assume
Meaning the Crimson Roses – primary within the World Rugby Girls’s Rankings – will play 4 matches towards their three major rivals within the house of simply 5 weeks.
“That is most likely a very powerful pre-season main into the long-term purpose [of winning Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025],” Mitchell mentioned.
“Clearly coping with the short-term being most likely more durable than a World Cup with the warm-up exams earlier than we go to WXV.”
He added: “It’s an ideal problem. Logistically and rugby-wise will probably be simply as difficult, if no more difficult, than successful a World Cup.
“To win a World Cup you’ve obtained to win the final three video games however we’ve obtained New Zealand twice, France as soon as and Canada as soon as. They’re the highest three groups on the planet.”
Though Mitchell’s present focus is on these matches towards France and New Zealand and the Crimson Roses’ WXV 1 marketing campaign, successful a 3rd World Cup is the last word intention for the Kiwi coach and his gamers.
In an effort to obtain that purpose he’s conscious his facet must proceed to evolve on the again of a near-perfect first season within the job.
“Our recreation’s undoubtedly working however we need to get quicker at it so we’re trying so as to add to our assault and our defence,” he mentioned.
“We’ve obtained what we name DNA strengths that we may all the time go to, however I see a happier enjoying group once they’re all concerned within the technique of assault and within the technique of defence, not simply counting on items.
“The capability of the women is certainly rising and we’re constructing resilience, which goes to be wanted over the course of the following 400 days with the house World Cup arising.”
Fixture
Girls’s Internationals
England Girls’s
France Girls’s
Regardless of not planning to rotate an excessive amount of through the remaining matches of 2024, Mitchell has purposefully been working with a big pool of gamers as he makes an attempt to construct depth forward of the World Cup.
With the 2024-25 Premiership Girls’s Rugby (PWR) remaining scheduled to be performed on March sixteenth, on the eve of the beginning of the Girls’s Six Nations, the England coach is aware of his assets will probably be examined come spring.
“We’ll most likely have to organize two groups for the early begin of the Six Nations as a result of the [PWR] finalists will probably be form of enjoying simply earlier than we kick off Six Nations,” he added.
“[Playing France and New Zealand] most likely doesn’t enable us to finally use loads of depth throughout the squad as a result of the cycle of the World Cup is getting nearer, so growth of gamers might be actually extra so for the following cycle.
“It’s now form of actually beginning to hone in on what groups are set for objective towards what opposition, and ensuring that we’re creating the mandatory cohesion.”
