Firsts & Lasts: Emma Mitchell
The latest in our series talking to former England captains sees Emma Mitchell recall her first and last Test as skipper.
A world-class scrum half, Emma Mitchell began her rugby career at Loughborough University when persuaded to play by fellow undergraduate Liza Burgess. Emma would go on to captain England and Liza to captain Wales.
At Loughborough they were coached by Jim Greenwood whose ‘total rugby' approach saw the whole team playing as one unit. Considered one of rugby's leading thinkers, having given up coaching the men, Jim’s interest was reinvigorated because said Emma: “Jim spoke of the women being sponges, soaking up everything he taught us. He was fantastic.”
She arrived in the England setup in 1987, sitting on the bench for the first England v Wales fixture, gaining her first cap in the same fixture a year later and remaining in the squad for the following 14 seasons. An impressive number 9, her dynamic runs and accurate passing brought an outstanding partnership with fly half Karen Almond that helped take England to their first two Rugby World Cup finals.
Almond having retired after lifting the trophy in 1994, Mitchell forged a new midfield partnership with Giselle Pragnell. They were fundamental in delivering the inaugural Home Nations Championship in 1996. Emma then scored the first try of a successful defence the following season.
A founding member of Saracens Women in 1989, she helped her club side to a league, cup and sevens treble a total of three times.
From 1987-2002, while working full-time in academic publishing, Emma was awarded 52 England caps and 5 caps for Great Britain. Following her club retirement in 2004 and while living in the Bay Area, she began coaching at club, regional and international level in the USA, Canada and the UK.
Emma first captained England against Holland during the 1997 European Championships. She also led the side for fixtures against Spain, France and Wales during the 1997-1998 season and, following Gill Burns’ injury, during the 1998 Rugby World Cup, leading England against Australia, New Zealand and Canada, with the side finishing third. Following Gill Burns’ resignation in 1998, Emma was asked to captain the last Five Nations fixture against Wales, when the side secured the Grand Slam. She also captained at the 1999 European Championships, before missing the 2000 season with an ACL injury .
An articulate advocate of women’s rugby, Emma won approval from Sunday Times rugby writer Stephen Jones, who said: “the stature of England women's rugby, both in the national team and in the sport countrywide, is in her debt, beholden to an almost unique ability to be world-class as a player and quietly but devastatingly effective as an ambassador.”
With a quiet but fierce determination and a calm, thoughtful and empathetic manner, Emma is a qualified executive coach and mentor, successfully supporting Olympic medallists, athletes and coaches to fulfil their aspirations.
First 2 April 1997 in Nice, England 40 - 3 Netherlands in the European Cup
“I’d been vice captain to Gill Burns since 1995 and, in preparation for the 1998 World Cup, I was given the opportunity to lead the side in one of the pool games at the 1997 Europeans. It was a bit of good planning as, unfortunately, Gill suffered a serious ankle injury in the second World Cup game, so I was asked to step up and captain for the remainder of the tournament.
“I don’t remember it being a big deal, more ‘let’s give you a run out against Holland’. Gill played at 8 and we enjoyed a good partnership, whereas she led from the front, I was more of a calm decision maker, the kind of strategist that goes with playing at 9.
“Eric Field, Steve Peters and Steve Jew were our coaches and in those days Gill and I were involved in the selection meeting, which I’m pretty sure is when me running out as captain was first discussed. It made sense from a scenario planning perspective and, when I was asked, I was very willing to step in and felt honoured to lead such a talented England team.
“I knew my parents would be tremendously proud. My identical twin sister Jane and I played just about every sport at school, went to Loughborough together and played 21 times for England together, Jane at full back. Our parents were incredibly supportive. Dad had played rugby in the Navy, served through WW2, boxed for the Navy and held the shot put record. Mum played tennis and, whereas Dad knew the game, she soon became an expert and avid supporter.
“My time as vice-captain had prepared me really well and on the pitch I was already in a leadership role. This was different though, I had to focus on what I would say in the changing room and keep a close eye on timings. I remember I decided that at the team talk I should just be me, stay calm and reinforce a couple of the coaches’ key messages. It was the first game of the tournament so everybody was pumped up and the pre-match talk felt like it needed to be more about staying focused.
“Out on the pitch for the anthems, I think it was either one of those small tinny tape recorders at the side of the pitch or we just sang the anthems unaccompanied. As a player, I always felt the pressure of a match in the build-up and, with the captaincy responsibilities, I did feel there was more pressure on me to play the very best that I could, knowing that would help lead the team. My role was around making good decisions and sticking to our game plan. I knew I could trust everyone to do their jobs well.
“I remember that at half time the match was still very close. We had beaten the Dutch a number of times before and we needed to keep applying pressure. There were a few new combinations, it was very hot and, although we’d played some good rugby, we just weren’t getting over the tryline. The game certainly wasn’t a done deal. At the break I said we simply needed to keep to the game plan, build on what we’d done so far and the scores would come, which is what happened in the second half.
“The score ended up being a bit flattering as we scored a couple of tries fairly late on. I came off feeling good. It was a positive team performance and a good start to the tournament. I definitely felt that if I needed to step up from vice-captain again I was prepared and knew I was capable of leading the team. I had the confidence I needed, which is what the coaches intended.”
Last 24 April 1999, Ponta nella Alpi, Italy, England 13-15 Scotland in the European Cup
“We’d had a change of coaches in March 1999, with Eric Field and Steve Peters replaced by Pete Kennedy who had been coaching the England A setup and Saracens. Gill Burns had resigned the captaincy and Pete asked me to captain the last game of the Five Nations, which we won 83-11 against Wales.
“That was my 50th cap, combining GB and England and Sue Day scored five tries. Pete coached an expansive style of rugby which excited me. The game almost felt like my first real captaincy as I was not stepping in any more but appointed to captain the team. We secured the Grand Slam title in style and then a week later headed off to the Europeans in Italy.
“Sadly, I was having an awful time by then. My personal relationship had broken down and I was heartbroken. Before we left for the tournament, I phoned Pete Kennedy and said I didn’t think I was in a position to play, and certainly not to captain. I tried to deselect myself but Pete persuaded me to stay. I did my best for the team but I knew I wasn’t in a particularly good state of mind.
“We lost 19-0 to France in the semi-final, missing the chance to defend our European title, and were playing Scotland in the third or fourth place play-off. At half time the score was very close and Pete wanted to give Jo Yapp, our replacement 9, the experience of coming on under pressure so I came off for the second half.
“I was, of course, really disappointed to be subbed off and at the time I didn’t know that with a serious knee injury eight months later, that the game would be my last as captain. We ended up losing 13-15, ending a disappointing European campaign.
“The whole team was disappointed after losing in the semis and we didn’t bounce back well enough for the 3rd/4th play-off. As captain, I felt responsible. It was one of three defeats in my 11 games in charge. I remember the end of tournament party, all of us sitting on benches at picnic tables. It got pretty messy towards the end.
“After the summer break I went back to Saracens, my spiritual home, started the 1999/2000 season. On 3 December (I remember the date as it is my Mum’s birthday) we were playing Clifton at home. It was wet and muddy and I remember being at the back of a ruck when the ref indicated a penalty advantage. I remember dummying so that I had the ball to take a quick penalty and my foot stuck as I got hit by one of their forwards. There was a huge pop and I went down in agony. With a complete ACL rupture, there’s this tremendous pain for a few minutes and then it’s gone. I had a huge swollen knee that night and following a scan spent 4 months trying to rehab it without surgery. The knee wasn’t stable enough and I had surgery in April 2000, managing to get back into the England set up in late 2000, early 2001.
“I went to Australia and New Zealand with England in 2001 for a very successful tour. I was on 49 England caps and by then Jo Yapp was the established scrum half and I was happy to provide supportive back up as number two. For the first game against Australia I was on the bench and hoped I might win my 50th England cap that day but I didn’t get put on. Then I captained a mid-week uncapped game against Australia A and, unfortunately, reinjured my ACL and, following more surgery, was out for another year.
“I just got back to win my 50th cap against Spain in April 2002 and was selected for the 2002 England World Cup squad as back up scrum half to Jo. It was my fourth World Cup and I knew I would be retiring afterwards - my body was definitely ready to stop! My last England match was the semi-final win over Canada. We then lost narrowly to New Zealand in the final. I was one of the four non-selected players for the final and we all took on water girl duties. I would have loved to have been involved in that game but completely supported Jo Yapp’s selection. She was a wonderful nine and was playing incredibly well.
“Being England captain gave me a stronger belief in myself, particularly in pressure situations as well as the confidence to trust and follow my instincts. In terms of my current role supporting a wonderful group of elite level hockey athletes, my experience – on and off the pitch - helps me relate to their world and understand some of what they are going through.
“Women’s rugby has come a long way. We have gone from staying in youth hostels, where Karen Almond and I were responsible for cleaning the toilets, to being more professional in terms of resources, coaching, sports science and medicine support. Skill levels are helped by players starting younger now but the feeling within the team, the camaraderie, the unique nature of rugby with so many positions that have to work together, is as compelling in 2020 as it was in 1987. Contact sport, where you literally put your body on the line and go into battle together, the achievement, the support win or lose, those things never change.
“My playing days bridged two eras from an amateur to a more professional time with lottery funding. Now that women’s rugby has kicked on again, it’s brilliant to watch and to feel you have been part of the overall journey. Most of my closest friends are those I met and bonded with through rugby. My wife and I got married seven years ago and of our 80 guests, 47 were from my rugby family!”
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