England recorded a staggering victory over Italy yesterday in the 2023 Women’s Six Nations, as a 12-try riot saw the Red Roses rack up a 68-5 score-line at Franklins Gardens. England have now recorded two landslide wins in their first two rounds of the competition, following up on their 58-7 triumph over Scotland.
There was plenty to discuss after the game, with Head Coach Simon Middleton and Captain Marlie Packer leading the conversations. Questions were raised about the competitiveness of the Women’s Six Nations, as England look to retain the title for a fifth consecutive year.
England have dominated the Women’s Six Nations in recent years, yet have twice fallen at the final hurdle on the Rugby World Cup stage. The Black Ferns of New Zealand have beaten England in two consecutive finals, in 2017 and just last year in the delayed ‘2021’ competition. Middleton responded to the query that England need tougher year-round competition, to win the matches that come down to the wire. He believes that the rest of the tournament will be a different story.
“I’ve just said to the coaches in the changing room, what we’ve got to be really conscious of is, next time out against Wales, it will be different, because they’re confident and they’re a tough side. They’ve got a really good momentum going, and then it’ll get even tougher.
“I think Ireland are in transition, that’s clear. But they’ll be tough on their own patch. Then France will be a very different proposition, they got their campaign really rolling yesterday. So we’ve got to make sure that we keep one eye on what’s to come, as well as staying in the moment and making sure that there is a real perspective about how we play.
“Because you can only play what’s in front of you. And again, I thought Italy were great today. They came out, they played with invention, they tried to take the game to us, and were unpredictable in their attack. They asked a lot of questions of us in defence, and I think its more a testimony to the group, to how well we’re playing at this moment in time. We know there’s tougher tests to come, so we’ve got to make sure we’re ready for it.”
Following the retirement of Sarah Hunter after England’s opening Six Nations match against Scotland, back-rower Marlie Packer has stepped up to lead the Red Roses into the future. The Saracens star echoed Middleton’s thoughts, on how the competition will get harder, and England can only take on who they line up against on the day.
“We can only play the team what’s in front of us. Like ‘Mids’ just said then, Italy did question us in areas today. For us as players, that’s about us fixing it. The break-down was an area, you’ve seen them pick and go around that area, and we talked about on that pitch, that’s one area where we need to make sure we defend first.
“If teams are going to (want to) play through us, they go around us. They don’t play through us, and we pride ourselves on that as the Red Roses. Today we got caught a couple of times, napping in that area, so that will be a fixer. But also for us, it’s also just bedding new players in, learning systems, nothing to worry about. And we can, like you (Middleton) said, only play the team that’s in front of you.”
Packer was asked if the Women’s Six Nations had somewhat limited competitiveness, with these one-sided victories showing the gulf in class between England and their opponents. The flanker certainly thought otherwise, and discussed how the results will only spur on the other nations to up their games for future competitions.
“No, I don’t think so. There’s such a buzz around the Six Nations, and every player that plays in it, or is injured, wants to be involved and apart of the Six Nations. So, I don’t think that at all. I think if anything it will make the unions be like ‘alright, we need to up our game, because we want to compete with the best, the likes of France, the likes of England.’
“But we can only play what’s in front of us, and we keep driving our standards. And this week we’ll look at ourselves, what we did wrong and what we could do better going into the next game. And then we’ll do our homework on Wales. But, just as the Six Nations, it’s such an exciting tournament to be apart of, and I know all the girls relish it, and really enjoy it.”
England have been struck with a series of high profile injuries and absentees, with the likes of Emily Scarratt, Zoe Harrison, Helena Rowland, Hannah Botterman and Abby Ward all unavailable for the 2023 Six Nations. Flying winger Claudia MacDonald might have just joined the expansive list, as she was substituted off for an unexpected injury.
Middleton gave a succinct update on the status of MacDonald, and praised her impressive showing against Italy.
“We’ll send her for a scan, first impressions, ‘touch wood’ are it’s not too serious. We’ll wait and see when the scan comes back.”
“She was outstanding wasn’t she, and particularly after a bit of a shaky start, I think we tried to go a little bit wide a little bit early in places. I thought her, and Jess (Breach) and the backs in particular combined really well. Yeah she’s dangerous, she’s a real dangerous player, hopefully she’ll be ok and back on the field pretty quick.”
Looking set to keep hold of the ‘invisible armband’ for the foreseeable future, Marlie Packer discussed how she has changed her role within the Red Roses leadership team. A player referred to as the “Tasmanian Devil” by Emily Scarratt, has now adopted a clearer role as the team’s compass, with a level head and greater responsibilities to guide her side forward.
“I just think there’s probably a little bit more opportunity for me to speak and express myself a little bit. I definitely rely on the leadership group, to have Zoe Aldcroft as my vice captain, she brings a lot to that. And then you’ve got the likes of Amy Cokayne, so maybe what I used to bring when Sarah Hunter was captain, that mentality, that ‘bring the girls up’, I’ve stepped a little bit away from that, and let Amy take that on a little bit. I’m (now) more that focussed, talk about the game plan (captain).
“But, I want to lead from the front. For my own personal performance out there today, I’m frustrated at a few things I did. But that’s one of those things, as a leadership we’ll just keep asking questions of each player, and keep asking questions of me.”
The Women’s Six Nations now enters a fallow week, with the sides taking a well-earned rest ahead of the Easter Weekend. The action returns for England on the 15th of April, as the Red Roses make the trip to Cardiff Arms Park, and take on Wales in round three.