Cohesion, culture and constantly evolving - How John Mitchell is fine-tuning the Red Roses ahead of pivotal year
The appreciation John Mitchell has for his players is one of the elements which has helped create an impressive culture
©RFU Collection via JMP UK
International women’s rugby makes a return next month as England prepare for WXV 1 by taking on France and New Zealand at Kingsholm and Twickenham.
The Red Roses then head to Vancouver for WXV 1 where they will face Canada, USA and the Black Fearns again as they aim to retain the title they won last November.
With just over a year to go until the Rugby World Cup begins on home soil, the opportunity to play four matches against three of their closest rivals - France, New Zealand and Canada - feels like the perfect test to kick off an important 12 months for John Mitchell’s side.
The Kiwi has had a dream start to his new role as head coach of the Red Roses, with a Six Nations Grand Slam already under his belt.
While the fixtures against France and New Zealand are being dubbed as ‘warm-up games’ for the WXV 1 tournament, they will be nothing of the sort due to the quality of the two sides and Mitchell is by no means underestimating the opposition.
“The last time we played France [a 42-21 victory which secured the Six Nations Grand Slam back in April], they created a lot of problems for us,” Mitchell told TRU.
“We played well but we also put pressure on ourselves through some of our decision-making and execution. I think possibly in our past, we've just washed over the outcome and got on to the next game, but we've actually already been quite thorough in that area of letting the squad learn about how we can better.
“They’ll be a huge challenge and then New Zealand always gets better. They'll be a different challenge because they're a very athletic team. We won't go away from what works for us, but it's a great opportunity to get really focused early and create the necessary cohesion.”
The theme of cohesion was a big focus point for Mitchell as his squad not only gears up for WXV 1, but next week also marks exactly one year until the start of the World Cup.
“There won’t be a lot of changes to the squad in these warm-up games because how do you build trust?” he added. “You build trust and belief through performances and working together. It takes a long time with an international team to build trust and cohesion because you don't have as much time with them as with club sides.
“So, I like to build trust as quickly as I can because it then builds cohesion. If you're chopping and changing teams all the time, it doesn't. I don't think it serves you well and can actually undo you.”
Mitchell’s tone makes it clear that this particular “pre-season” period is of the utmost importance to his squad's development.
Of course, the Red Roses will be focused on their WXV 1 campaign but the England boss didn’t shy away from the “long-term goal” of winning a third World Cup.
“How do we get done what we haven't got done for 11 years?” he said. “ Yes, we've done well in Six Nations, yes we've done well in WXV, and maybe we could just sit on our laurels and continue with the way that we approach things, but my job is to make sure we just squeeze a little bit more out of each other.
“My focus is on how we can squeeze a little bit more out in terms of the way that our environment works and how we communicate with each other with problems rather than just focusing on our strengths and then how do we continue to evolve our game?
“Looking at the short term of these warm-up Tests and then our games in the tournament, the calibre of opposition is probably going to be harder than a World Cup.
“That being the case, it probably doesn't allow us to use a lot of depth within the squad because the World Cup cycle is getting closer so player development is really more important for the next cycle.”
Despite Mitchell’s assurance that player development will be a priority in the lead-up to the next World Cup in 2029, he still has several relatively young players in his squad.
For example, Katie Buchanan, who only a couple of seasons ago was tearing up the BUCS Women’s National League for the University of Exeter, is joined by another mightily impressive graduate of the student game in the form of Loughborough Lightning second-row and recent England Under-20s captain Lili Ives Campion.
On the inclusion of these names in his pre-season camps, Mitchell explained: “I think it's really important to reward some of the Under-20 girls to let them know that they can play Test rugby for the Red Roses.
“I think that it's helpful to the other older players in the squad as well that there is competition. The more that we can connect with the pathway, the more we can get the right skill-sets and physical, tactical, and emotional support down there.
"I think we've still got a lot of work to do in that area, but we've definitely started just seeing the benefits of the Men's Under-20s. We want to put a really good focus in there, which we are, but we're only in the infancy of it but I think it's really important.”
The most striking thing about Mitchell's tenure as Red Roses head coach so far has been his clear understanding and appreciation of the players, not only as athletes, but also as individuals on a personal level.
At the end of this year's Six Nations, versatile back Jess Breach said that it was the most fun she has ever had in camp and it is clear to see why.
Just last week, Breach, Ellie Killdune and Buchanan posted a TikTok pranking Mitchell with the viral ‘Give me the money!’ trend.
Much to the bemusement of many former colleagues and past players of Mitchell, it is evident that the Red Roses camp is a positive environment for the players both on and off the pitch.
“I think my experience as a coach helps,” he added. “Not being premeditated as well, I could have easily come in here and just premeditated a plan, but I think the year before, being partly invisible, allowed me to probably understand and ask a lot more questions.
“So there was the common context, which has been with me throughout most of my rugby career, and then there's the uncommon context of joining a very special team, but going into the women's game and how do I continue to help this team grow.
“So yeah, I think it was to get the right structures in place, then focus more on the human being than the doing.
“You just go with the flow. There's never a dull moment in the day. The younger girls do grab anxiety. I’m a big man, and I probably have a presence and for them, it could be a little bit daunting. So I try and squash that perception if you like to make it easier for the person to be able to communicate.
“If a player is struggling, we want to make sure they feel they have a voice so that we can then help them and solve those problems. As much as we are the Red Roses, and that comes first, I think these girls only get a journey in this particular life for a small period of time so if they're able to be themselves in that journey and we're able to enhance that and enable that without that affecting the Red Roses first, then I'm all for it. “
Part of the culture that Mitchell has built is what he refers to as a ‘higher purpose’ for this squad. With a home World Cup on the horizon, he understands the influence his side has when it comes to the bigger picture.
“We think we have a greater responsibility than just winning. We've been wrestling with that for a year. We often talk about wanting to play more consistently at Twickenham and fill those famous green seats.
“We’ve got communities to connect to over the next year. It's important that we embrace and connect to those communities in different ways when we're present. We're models for all the younger girls out there, offering a new generation of people an opportunity to come and watch a really exciting team.”
Mitchell is clearly an inspirational coach and one with a track record many would dream of. With that in mind, it seems almost inevitable that this Red Roses side will continue to dominate, and the upcoming fixtures against France and New Zealand will seemingly only solidify that fact.
