John Mitchell has backed his England side to “go the extra mile” when they take on France in the Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam decider in Bordeaux on Saturday.
The Red Roses enjoyed a near-perfect tournament as their new attacking intuition saw them score big after heeding head coach Mitchell’s call to “play on the edge”.
France, ranked third in the world, will provide a much sterner test but face a serious task to end their 12-match losing streak against England in a match that has historically gone down to the wire gone.
Eight of those meetings have been decided by a single score and while France will be supported by a near capacity crowd at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, Mitchell believes his side can step up a gear in the hunt for a sixth successive title.
“We’ve gotten better as the tournament has progressed and who said there are limits to the style we produced last weekend? We have the opportunity to call it again,” Mitchell said.
“It certainly won’t stop. It will continue to evolve. It has challenged a lot of girls in that capacity area and it is certainly a challenge for some girls who have not been able to fully train.
“They understand very well where we are going, but this group has such high standards that they will never be satisfied. We always want to get better.”
Mitchell has not thrown any major selection curveballs in his final matchday squad for the campaign, but has given the nod to Morwenna Talling over Abbie Ward in the second row after the Sale Sharks player’s fine individual display in his side’s 88-10 hammering of Ireland. Amy Cokayne also replaces the injured Lark Atkin-Davies.
France almost stunned England at Twickenham last year when they came close to an incredible comeback from 33 points in the second half. Despite racking up 228 points in the Championship while conceding just 20, Mitchell warned his team cannot rest on their laurels.
“We’ve been expecting an arm wrestle for a while,” he said. “We’ve wanted that for a long time, we’ve been asking for it, and we’re definitely going to get it this weekend. It’s going to give us really good feedback. It is important to experience that, then we will be in good stead, because we can learn from it.”
Towering lock Madoussou Fall returns to the French pack this weekend after being used off the bench in last week’s 40-0 defeat to Wales. Romane Menager also returns to her favored role at No.8 after operating as a blindside flanker in Cardiff, and her twin sister Marine is fit to start on the wing.
England: Ellie Kiltun (Harlequins); Abby Dow (Trailfinders), Megan Jones (Leicester Tigers), Tatyana Heard (Gloucester-Hartpury), Jess Breach (Saracens); Holly Aitchison (Bristol Bears), Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury); Hannah Botterman (Bristol Bears), Amy Cokayne (Leicester Tigers), Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury), Zoe Aldcroft (Gloucester-Hartpury), Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks), Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning), Marlie Packer (captain, Saracens) ), Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury).
Replacements: Connie Powell (Harlequins), Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury), Kelsey Clifford (Saracens), Abbie Ward (Bristol Bears), Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs), Lucy Packer (Harlequins), Emily Scarratt (Loughborough Lightning), Sydney Gregson ( Saracens).
France: Emilie Boulard (Blagnac); Joanna Grisez (France Sevens); Nassira Konde (Stade Bordelais), Gabrielle Vernier (Blagnac); Marine Menager (Montpellier); Lina Queyroi (Blagnac), Pauline Bourdon Sansus (Toulouse); Annaelle Deshaye (Stade Bordelais), Agathe Sochat (Stade Bordelais), Assia Khalfaoui (Stade Bordelais), Manae Feleu (captain, Grenoble Amazones), Madoussou Fall (Stade Bordelais), Charlotte Escudero (Toulouse), Gaelle Hermet (Toulouse), Romane Menager (Montpellier).
Replacements: Elisa Riffonneau (Trailfinders), Ambre Mwayembe (Grenoble Amazones), Clara Joyeux (Blagnac), Emeline Gros (Grenoble Amazones), Teani Feleu (Grenoble Amazones), Alexandra Chambon (Grenoble Amazones), Anne-Cecile Ciofani (France Sevens), Chloe Jaquet (Lyon).
Analysis: Mitchell opts for consistency in the confrontation with France
By Fiona Tomas
John Mitchell has dropped no major surprises ahead of his side’s crucial meeting with France. Given the huge score his side has given to other teams, England – and to some extent France – are the only countries who can feasibly switch personnel on and off and still win comfortably. Yet Mitchell has been reluctant to tinker with his squad, apart from the times his hand has been forced, either through injuries or player suspensions.
So it’s not surprising that Mitchell has been dealt many of the same cards again. Holly Aitchison and Natasha Hunt – a secondary halfback partner during the Simon Middleton era – were as sharp as they could be. Tatyana Heard’s alliance with Meg Jones in midfield was exciting and a real pillar of the England attack.
Emily Scarratt, the cornerstone of the Red Roses’ midfield for so long, has to settle for a place on the bench again. With Heard in such sublime form, Scarratt has a long way to go to dislodge her in the middle.
Perhaps in a nod to the future, Morwenna Talling has been preferred to the experienced Abbie Ward in the second row. “She came on the call very late last weekend and performed extremely well,” Mitchell said of the Sale Sharks forward, who was called into action after Rosie Galligan dislocated her thumb during the warm-up at Twickenham. “She is also in great physical shape and is producing products to the standards we want.”
However, there is further setback for Sarah Beckett, who has failed to force her way back into the matchday squad following the three-match suspension she received following England’s opening match against Italy.
In France, Mitchell is not taking any risks. Consistency is clearly key.