Mitchell on progress, pressure & responsibility
Red Roses head coach John Mitchell says the pressure his team put on themselves is far greater than external pressure they receive.
With a home Rugby World Cup fast approaching, the team is preparing for all eyes to be on them, but the internal pressure is what keeps players motivated.
“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves inside. Even before my time there was still pressure of maintaining a standard,” said Mitchell.
“That pressure inside is probably far greater than the pressure from the outside, so we don’t really need to worry about the pressure on the outside because we have enough on the inside to keep us motivated and continue to challenge ourselves.”
England face France and New Zealand in September ahead of WXV1, where they will face the Black Ferns again, having beaten them in last year’s inaugural competition.
On top of their WXV1 success the Red Roses added a sixth consecutive Guinness Women’s Six Nations title in April, and despite maintaining an unbeaten record since taking on the role, Mitchell knows there is still much to work on.
“When you win often you still have problems, so you have to focus on those to be able to get better,” he added. “Our game is definitely working, but we want to get faster at it. We’re looking to add to our attack and our defence. We’re refreshing our environment and culture.
“I think the capacity of the girls as well is definitely growing and we’re building resilience which will be needed over the course of the next 400 days with a home World Cup.”
Winning Rugby World Cup 2025 is evidently on Mitchell’s to-do list, but he recognises there is more to hosting the World Cup than winning it, and there is a responsibility the team has to inspire the next generation.
“If you just get hung up on winning as you know that doesn’t always go for you, so what’s our greater responsibility?
“You often hear about us wanting to consistently play here at Twickenham, wanting to fill the green seats. We’ve got communities to connect to and over the next year it’s important that we embrace and connect with those communities in different ways.
“We’re also models for all the younger girls and younger men, we’re offering a new generation an opportunity to come and watch a really exciting team.”
The Red Roses’ fixture against the Black Ferns at Twickenham Stadium on 14 September is an opportunity to start building on both their wider responsibility, and their performance aspirations.
