Gulf in resources still stacking the odds in favour of Red Roses

Kate Rowan says England remain the envy of their Six Nations rivals ahead of this year’s women’s tournament

‘The women’s game is an evolution and it is moving at a real pace’

When England Women run out at Stadio Mirabello in Reggio Emilia on Sunday to face Italy in the first step of their Grand Slam defence, we will watch two sides playing for the same trophy, fuelled by the same pride and the same ambition. But while the majority of both teams’ players balance full-time employment with Test rugby, this is where the similarities end.

England are ranked second in the world behind New Zealand. Italy are eighth and have never beaten England, who have a Six Nations win rate above 85 per cent. Compare this with the Azzurre’s 28 per cent. The Italians have made progress in recent years with a best Six Nations finish of third in 2015. Head coach Andrea di Giandomenico believes that despite his side being “not too far off ” in terms of the standard of play, “the huge difference is the budget”.

Inequality is never hard to find in women’s sport, but the Six Nations playing field does seem particularly skewed. England’s Red Roses may attract crowds which are roughly four per cent those of the men, but in the wider context of the women’s game England’s resources make them the envy of the other home nations.

Around £2.4million has been invested into the domestic club game with the creation of the Premier 15s, which should grow the talent pool. They have a head coach, Simon Middleton, who is employed on a full-time basis, and despite the controversy over England’s XVS players not having their full-time contracts renewed after last summer’s World Cup, the players are now paid a match fee and compensated for their time spent training. There is also the innate advantage of having been professional for a year.

The difference between that and England’s Six Nations rivals – two of whom, Ireland and Italy, do not have full-time coaches – is stark. Middleton has often used the expression that “it is an evolution rather than a revolution” when it comes to the changes within his own squad and he regards the broader Six Nations picture in similar terms. “It is an evolution and it is moving at a real pace,” he says. “People can probably expect a little too much at times. It is moving forward and there is a huge amount of investment going into it, and energy going into it, we will get there as soon as we can with it. The stronger the teams you play, the better you are going to be for it.”

The Rugby Football Union head of women’s performance, Nicky Ponsford, who sits on the Women’s Six Nations sub-committee, makes the point that discrepancies in resources are not just restricted to the women. “There is a difference in resources just across unions, whether it is in the men’s game or whether it is in the women’s game,” she says. But the results are certainly heavily weighted in England’s favour.

Since its inception in 1996, when it was just four nations, England have won 14 titles, France five and Ireland two. Scotland have won just once, in 1998, when it was a four-nation competition. Ireland’s success – or lack of it – is perhaps the most surprising. When Ireland won their first Six Nations with a Grand Slam in 2013, beating England for the first time and ending their rivals’ run of seven straight titles, much was made of the achievement, given it was delivered by a part-time coach.

Increased investment, the appointment of a full-time coach and the fact that England were rebuilding after their 2014 World Cup victory led to an Irish championship win in 2015, but a difficult 2017 World Cup on home soil – which ended with Ireland finishing eighth out of 12 teams – led to a rebuilding phase while the union focuses its resources on sevens.

Newly appointed Ireland head coach Adam Griggs is addressing the challenge. “We’re certainly punching above our weight at the moment, we haven’t got the same resources or the player pool that possibly New Zealand or England have,” he says. “In terms of what we are doing on the field, we’re trying to bridge that gap as much as we can. I love the saying that professionalism is in your mind set and that is what we take through in our squad at the moment.”

Scotland, perceived as the poor relation in the Women’s Six Nations, being the only side not to qualify for the World Cup last year, are at least making significant steps to become more competitive with head coach Shade Munro employed on a full-time basis and with six fully professional XVS players, three of whom play in France’s Top 8 league. The Scots are also benefiting from players crossing the border to play in the Premier 15s, meaning Scotland indirectly benefit from RFU cash.

Munro said: “It is going to be more difficult playing against teams with huge resources in terms of players, strength of league whatever that may be. We can only develop as fast as we can develop and that is what we are always driven to do, to get better quicker than the other teams.”

England’s recent exploits suggest a new, bigger audience is ready to be tapped into. Last year’s World Cup final against New Zealand was watched by a prime-time Saturday night audience of 2.65million and it would seem that exposure helped persuade close to 12,000 fans to stay behind after England’s men played Samoa in November to watch the women again Canada.

Ponsford is optimistic, but also pleads for patience. “There has to be patience because it does not change overnight. That covers how players progress, growing the fan bases and attendances. There is patience required in terms of commercial partners coming on board and the speed at which other unions develop. We still have a long way to go but it is exciting that we are on this journey.”