LONDON — England head coach John Mitchell dismissed claims that their ongoing dominance in the Six Nations is a problem for women’s rugby, following his side’s 88-10 thrashing of Ireland on Saturday.
The victory at Twickenham was England’s 28th in a row in a competition that they have won every year since 2019.
“I’m sure some people will chat about the competitiveness and that kind of stuff, but at the end of the day we drive ourselves inside the way we prepare and that’s all we can focus on,” Mitchell told a news conference.
“I don’t think we really are in a position to judge the competition or the competitiveness.
“At the end of the day, all we can really focus on is the way that we prepare and I think our standards and the way that we prepare have probably gone up a little bit in terms of level as well.”
The win over Ireland secured England’s eighth consecutive Triple Crown and set up a likely championship decider against France next weekend, providing Les Bleus beat Wales on Sunday.
Under Mitchell, the Red Roses have been attempting to implement a more free-flowing style of rugby in comparison to the focus on set pieces and forward play preferred by former head coach Simon Middleton.
Mitchell has previously said that he would like for England, the No.1-ranked side in the world, to play at the country’s national stadium on a more consistent basis and he believes a more entertaining style of play can help to generate larger crowds and wider public support.
England’s victory came in front of 48,778 fans at Twickenham in what was the team’s only scheduled match at the stadium in this year’s Six Nations.
“We went up a gear, we asked that of the girls during the week and they certainly delivered that,” Mitchell said.
“I guess at the end of the day we’ve still got to drive to fill this stadium on a consistent basis, wanting to play here more consistently.
“So, if we can continue to produce performances like that, I think it won’t be too long before we do fill the top green seats [the top tier of seating at Twickenham.]
“From that point of view, I think it’s only that style of rugby that will bring people to watch us. We know that we’ve got other strengths as well. But yeah, no, it’s a good sign and we’re only in the infancy of it which is cool.”
Asked whether he could recall a match in his coaching career in which his team had won so convincingly, Mitchell said: “You’re putting me back into the Filofax now.
“I’d rather talk about the quality of the performance that the girls delivered. I don’t think my past has got anything to do with it really, but that was a good standard today. It’s hard to say but we actually can get a lot better as well.”
If England are to deliver their sixth consecutive Six Nations title, they will likely need to win in Bordeaux next weekend.
England captain Marlie Packer backed England to use their big-game experience to quieten the home support.
“[Playing in] France is very different than playing a home game with your home fans,” Packer said.
“The French fans are very different, but also we can flip that on its head because also the French fans, when their team’s not going the way they want it to be, they lose, they don’t get behind their team.
“So we just need to make sure we go out there and put a performance in and not worry about the outside noise.”