We can celebrate exciting times

English rugby is thriving and the Six Nations win is only the most visible triumph for our players

wo grand slams in Dublin – for the England women and the men’s Under-20s – and a second Six Nations Championship success for the men rounds off a great tournament for England. These are exciting times for English rugby.

As Eddie Jones says with his usual focus and clarity, we are 14 months into a four-year project to win the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

The Under-20s are already world champions, and the Red Roses – England women – aim to retain the World Cup when we return to Ireland in August.

While this weekend did not have quite the finale we all hoped for, we are proud winners of the Six Nations Championship – again.

We set out to win the tournament and we did.

Saturday’s match was everything a Six Nations match should be and we congratulate Ireland on a hard-fought victory in a tight match played in a terrific atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium.

These occasions – these weekends when rugby dominates the conversation and everything that is special about rugby is on show – make us all proud and privileged to be part of this game.

We have had an incredible run under Eddie’s leadership. Eddie has been a galvanising force for the whole of the Rugby Football Union and his vision, sense of purpose, attention to detail and work ethic have underpinned every element of our performance.

The unity and continual yearning for improvement in our squad is impressive and testament to the mentality and spirit Eddie and his coaching team are developing with this hugely talented group of players led so well by Dylan Hartley.

Winning the series in Australia 3-0 will be a summer to remember for all of us, followed by a great autumn series and another strong Six Nations performance.

There’s no doubt that the success of our elite teams is driving participation in community rugby – our recent “Inner Warrior” camps saw large numbers of women trying out rugby for the first time, inspired by the Red Roses. Our general participation numbers across the board, at all levels of the game including Touch Rugby, are strong.

Our men’s sevens team, under the leadership of Simon Amor, are having another strong year, winning two of the ongoing World Sevens Series tournaments including Vancouver last weekend.

Following a successful Rio Olympics, sevens rugby is another focus for us and the London Sevens in May is a chance for everyone to watch our young sevens stars and see the continued development of this fascinating game.

We have much to look forward to this year – some of it in the Southern Hemisphere with a tour of Argentina, and, of course, a British and Irish Lions tour with, we hope, a strong contingent of English players. Steve Borthwick, former England captain and now our forwards coach, is an inspired coaching choice by Warren Gatland for his coaching team and will add huge value to the Lions.

The women’s World Cup in Ireland in August is another summer highlight – be in no doubt that the Red Roses are ready and determined to retain their title.

After the World Cup, we will launch the new Women’s Super Rugby League in September, providing a great platform for the women’s game.

In the last week, World Rugby has announced the core principles for a new global season. The RFU and Premiership Rugby Ltd have been part of the team negotiating this new framework and the outcome is good for English rugby.

We want to make English rugby the best in the world for club and country and the calendar certainty we now have will shape our planning for the coming years.

So, for us, a very good Six Nations for all our teams, and the constant drive to continually improve and to be the best in the