England 'go to the trenches' to silence doubters

Figure caption, England lift the Six Nations trophy after beating out France in the Grand Slam decider With a 43-28 triumph over France in Bordeaux, the Red Roses extended their unbeaten streak to 38 Tests, clinching an eighth consecutive Women's Six Nations crown and a fifth successive Grand Slam. But the emotion after the final whistle was plain to see. This was not just another win for the seemingly unstoppable Red Roses. In the words of captain Meg Jones, they had to "go to the trenches" during their title defence and "fronted up" to prove to their doubters wrong. England's latest victory was their fifth bonus-point win in a row, with their six tries taking their tally for the championships to 42. But neither the scoreline nor the table show that they were second best for much of the opening 20 minutes against a spirited France and had to stave off a comeback from their hosts, who recovered from 26-7 at half-time to 29-21 heading into the final quarter. England see off spirited France to clinch Six Nations Published2 hours agoNor do they show that England faced questions about their defence in the build-up to the Grand Slam decider after both Wales and Italy achieved record points tallies – and a try bonus point apiece – in their previous two matches. Across their opening four matches, they conceded 76 points compared to 29 the previous year. But after going behind in shambolic fashion in the 13th minute, with France breaking the length of the field for Pauline Bourdon Sansus' opener, England silenced their critics. France didn't score again until the 53rd minute, by which time England had run in four tries. "We went through the trenches there. We asked for a good defensive set because everyone was doubting it," Jones told BBC Sport. "We fronted up and showed what England is about. Defence is a mindset, but you just have to front up and own your collisions. "The calibre of the players we have, we shouldn't have doubted it. Maybe we let outside noise creep in. We wanted to raise the floor and did that in abundance." Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, England haven't lost in the Women's Six Nations since March 2018 In winning the 2026 Women's Six Nations, England etched another piece of history into their legacy. No side – men's or women's – has won a World Cup and a Six Nations back-to-back. England have done so in the space of eight months, extending their record-breaking winning streak to 38 Tests in the process. They achieved this despite repeated tests to their squad depth, with four players, including captain Zoe Stratford, absent because of pregnancy and more than a dozen players missing matches through injury. Only six of the players who started last year's World Cup final were in the starting XV against France. Head coach John Mitchell handed out five debuts over the championship, recalled Delaney Burns and Liz Crake after three-year absences, and was forced into desperate measures in his forward pack, notably fielding a different second row pairing in every game. "It was great to win a World Cup at home, but what we have navigated through this tournament – the youth that is coming through, we have our mates at home and becoming mums, and going through rehab, these girls are so brave," a tearful Mitchell told BBC Sport. "I have to take my hat off to the staff and the coaching staff. I want to be grateful to the people who do all the work behind the team, to navigate through so much change but that has made us such a better coaching unit." However, the New Zealander, who is yet to taste defeat since taking up the role in late 2023, is not one to rest on his laurels. This latest triumph is simply part of the evolutionary process and the first step towards winning back-to-back World Cup titles. "We wanted to be really intentional around winning because in four years time, we want to do the same thing," Mitchell said. "For the generation that has joined us on this voyage, they are a different kettle of fish and have a lot of confidence. Meg has done a marvellous job of helping them understand what it means to be a Red Rose. "We are in a really good place and today was the first step in being intentional in terms of what we want to do in four years. That is why I showed a lot of emotion because I love coaching this tournament and the girls showed up."

England 'go to the trenches' to silence doubters

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