John Mitchell was left on the verge of tears as he declared his England side ‘must be pretty close’ to the top rugby teams of all time and the nation’s best ever sporting outfits.
The Red Roses extended their winning run to 38 games and sealed a record eighth consecutive Women’s Six Nations title and a fifth successive Grand Slam in Bordeaux.
In a thrilling, ding-dong battle with France, star player Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach both crossed for braces as England repelled a brutal home performance not once, but twice.
On the back of lifting the World Cup on home soil last year, this success cemented England as the dominant force in female rugby.
Asked if his team was deserving of comparison to the true greats, England head coach Mitchell cut an emotional figure.
‘We must be pretty close,’ he said, pausing briefly. ‘It’s nice for people to talk about the girls in that way, but what’s more important to us is the values we live by.
The Red Roses extended their winning run to 38 games and sealed a record eighth consecutive Women’s Six Nations title and a fifth successive Grand Slam in Bordeaux
John Mitchell was left on the verge of tears as he declared his England side ‘must be pretty close’ to the top rugby teams of all time and the nation’s best ever sporting outfits
In a thrilling, ding-dong battle with France, star player Ellie Kildunne and Jess Breach both crossed for braces as England repelled a brutal home performance not once, but twice
‘The girls are so brave. They take no s***. They are so driven and that’s what makes them so good. I’m pretty excited by that performance. I’m going to get stuck into a few beers.’
England’s women’s stars haven’t lost a match since the 2022 World Cup final when New Zealand emerged victorious. Their last Six Nations defeat was as long ago as 2018. In the 2026 Championship, Mitchell has been without four key players due to pregnancy in captain Zoe Stratford, Abbie Ward, Rosie Galligan and Lark Atkin-Davies.
He has also seen his squad beset by injuries with first-choice starters Hannah Botterman, Natasha Hunt and Tatyana Heard among those on the sidelines. The Kiwi boss has been forced into 20 changes across the tournament as a result, yet still England have remained dominant.
They are a mighty team, with their achievements as good, if not better than Sir Clive Woodward’s men’s rugby side who tasted World Cup glory in 2003 and other top sides such as the 1966 men’s football winners and the men’s cricketers who downed Australia to win the 2005 Ashes. That much was proved here, England withstanding an immense French start. The hosts were exceptional at the beginning of both halves and closed to within eight points at the hour as they impressed with their raw power and physicality in the tackle.
They were led by their scrum-half and captain Pauline Bourdon Sansus, who like Kildunne and Breach, also scored twice.
France opened what was a superb match with a brilliant, length-of-the-field effort which came when England were stripped of possession.
But England came up with an answer to everything that was thrown their way. Sarah Bern replied and outstanding hooker Amy Cokayne put the game to bed, baiting the raucous French crowd a la Henry Pollock. Breach’s second came at the end of a free-flowing attacking move from a scrum and was the crucial score which sent Mitchell into overdrive.
Cokayne added the finishing touch. No 10 Zoe Harrison continued her remarkable form with the boot, kicking five conversions and a penalty.
The match was played in front of a record crowd for a women’s Six Nations game in France but it was England who were the ones left celebrating.
‘Bonjour, ca va?’ quipped a delighted Megan Jones as the England captain entered the post-match press conference, holding the Championship trophy.
Mitchell added: ‘It was fantastic to win a World Cup. We want to do that again in four years and this was the first step to doing that.
‘This tournament has been a really good experience for us. Everyone witnessed an outstanding first half from us. We are in a new era.
‘Not many teams back up winning a World Cup with a Grand Slam.’