Five ways Mitchell evolved Red Roses’ attacking game
After another Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam, head coach John Mitchell’s England reign is truly under way – and this campaign certainly felt distinctive from a tactical standpoint.
A freshened-up pack…
Trusting Morwenna Talling to start over Abbie Ward in the deciding final game of the campaign against France was one of a few signs that Mitchell was confident in his Red Roses squad and the style he had aimed to impart.
England’s pack played through defences with short, sharp passing. The first two tries on Saturday were fine examples. Hannah Botterman, highly influential as a jackaller and a scrummager, picked at the base of a ruck for number one. She shaped to jam towards the line before sending the ball three metres, across the face of the fringe defence, to Maud Muir. Seven minutes later, Amy Cokayne stepped up at first receiver and fixed two tacklers before tipping onto a surging Alex Matthews.
In confrontational games, forwards can be drawn towards collisions. In the final leg of the Grand Slam mission, England did not become blinkered. They continued to move the ball to space.
…with some old tricks
That said, England also found refuge in a prolific staple of the Simon Middleton era: their line-out maul. Louis Deacon, forwards coach since 2021, has drilled this area impressively and two pushovers against France, instigated by Cokayne’s exceptional throwing and the leadership of Zoe Aldcroft, steadied England. Mitchell was clearly not too proud to ignore the sturdy foundations left for him.
Midfield covering all bases
England’s starting 10-12-13 axis for the opener in Parma was Zoe Harrison, Emily Scarratt and Helena Rowland. On the back of a clunky outing, and injuries to Scarratt and Rowland, the combination changed completely. Holly Aitchison, Tatyana Heard and Megan Jones joined forces for rounds two, three, four and five. And their synergy means they must be considered as the front-line trio moving forward to WXV this autumn.
Aitchison is a whippy distributor with an impressive passing range who can open her stride and take the space if tacklers sit off. Heard combines power and poise, while Jones is a bundle of energy. Her running angles punch holes and create space for others.
History tells us that successful teams are galvanised by balance and cohesion in midfield. Mitchell appears to have found these things at the first time of asking.
Aitchison, Heard and Jones are particularly effective when running the trendy shape that teams around the world deploy; an inside centre stepping up at first receiver, the 13 cutting a hard angle and the fly-half circling around into a second wave. Defences have to respect all options and are often overwhelmed.
Reimagining back-three roles
Another illustration of Mitchell’s self-confidence as a coach was the ownership that Lou Meadows took over the attack, as well as the influence that her mentor, Brian Ashton, was able to assert as a consultant. Clearly, Mitchell is open to new ideas and a stonking Six Nations for the back three was a happy result.
Ellie Kildunne, Abby Dow and Jess Breach bagged 18 tries between them and occupied all three positions on the championship’s top-scorer podium. And yet, potent finishing was just one facet of their performances.
They were obviously encouraged to roam across the pitch to link attacks and overload defences.
Swinging around from the right wing, Dow appeared to relish the added responsibility. Kildunne’s tournament was decorated by nine tries from full-back – she lacerated defences with deceptive power and speed. As Dow said after the Ireland victory, England are intent on thinking outside the box when it comes to attack.
Back in the Hunt
Natasha Hunt’s emotion in her interview with the BBC after the France match was entirely understandable. A controversial omission from the 2022 World Cup squad, she had forced her way back into favour and re-established herself. Four consecutive starts at scrumhalf reflected her importance.
Sniping around the fringes and distributing tidily, Hunt has seemingly usurped Lucy Packer. At 35, Hunt has invaluable know-how. More valuable to Mitchell, though, was her palpable desire to prove a point. Along the way, her versatility as a scrum-half ushered in this new era.