Simon Middleton’s side are ranked No1 in the world and have just shown the British & Irish Lions precisely how it is done but the coach of England’s women believes there is extra pressure on them to defend their World Cup in August following the Rugby Football Union’s introduction of professional contracts for XVs players last year.
Last September the RFU announced an elite player squad with 29 players placed on full-time contracts and a further nine on short-term contracts to prepare for the World Cup in Ireland. A month later the governing body unveiled the rebranded “Red Roses” and results would suggest England are in bloom.
Middleton was in confident mood at Twickenham on Thursday after announcing a 28-member squad for the tournament, led by Sarah Hunter and featuring 15 of the squad who lifted the trophy in 2014. Considering the victory over Black Ferns this month was a first in New Zealand for 16 years he has every right to be but with the many benefits that professionalism has brought his side, so the burden of expectation increases.
“It’s a huge part of it,” Middleton said. “There’s a responsibility that comes with that. It’s not a free ride, there are expectations and that’s why it was hugely important to get to No1. It was part of our goals, as was winning the Six Nations. Professionalism has been pivotal to our performance. It allows the girls to recover after training.
“The recovery time, not having to go to work, is the most pivotal part of being full-time and not having to back up a session with doing another job. When they come to training they are ready to go again. [The contracts will] be reassessed [after the World Cup] I’ve no doubt. They bring responsibility and accountability but that’s all right. That’s why we do what we do. Sport is a very pressurised environment. Going into a World Cup is a pressure so, if we can train ourselves to deal with pressure, it helps us. It’s that mental rehearsal when you know you have to deliver on something.”
The Red Roses rebrand coincided with the return of the sevens players who had switched focus to the shortened form in a failed pursuit of an Olympic medal at Rio 2016. Six of those – Katy Mclean, Natasha Hunt, Emily Scarratt, Emily Scott, Danielle Waterman and Amy Wilson Hardy – are part of the World Cup squad while Rachel Burford, Rochelle Clark, Tamara Taylor and Waterman will feature at a fourth consecutive tournament.
With 1,207 caps, it is a squad brimming with experience and a sprinkling of youth, and the stars would appear to be aligning for Middleton. The Six Nations grand slam this year was a first title since 2012 while victory against New Zealand followed wins against Australia and Canada – beaten finalists at the 2014 World Cup.
Moreover it was not so much the fact of defeating New Zealand as the manner in which the 29-21 win was achieved. Three of the five tries were driving mauls as England turned to their forward power. “I went down there four years ago and we played three Test against them and lost them all,” Hunter said.
“You think: ‘Are they this team that is untouchable?’ This time round there was so much self-belief and confidence and everything seemed to click.”
Much as Eddie Jones has the date of the 2019 World Cup final circled on his calendar, Middleton has a checklist of things to achieve before arriving in Ireland and which he regularly shares with his squad. But, with just over a month to go, there is little left to tick off.
“Going to New Zealand and winning, it’s a confidence thing,” he said. “It’s also been one of our goals to be No1. It’s a big win for us but we totally understand it doesn’t entitle us to anything. It’s probably made us a little bit more aware of what’s to come. We had to problem-solve a lot out there. We were behind in every game we played. That’s significant for us. It proves we can hold our composure when we need to.”
Aside from the knee injury that rules Emily Braund out of the tournament Middleton has a clean bill of health for a campaign that begins with England’s opening match against Spain. Italy and USA are the other teams in pool B from which England are favourites to emerge. Hunter, however, is taking little for granted.
“Each nation has got players involved that have been on professional contracts – sevens or 15s – that have come in and that has pushed the boundary on,” she said. “In 2014 we all thought that was the height of women’s rugby. We all wondered then how much more it could go and it’s just sky-rocketed.”
Forwards Z Aldcroft (Darlington), S Bern (Bristol), Clark (Worcester), A Cokayne (Lichfield), V Cornborough (Harlequins), V Fleetwood (Saracens), S Hunter (capt, Bristol), H Kerr (Darlington), J Lucas (Lichfield), A Matthews (Richmond), H Millar-Mills (Lichfield), I Noel-Smith, M Packer (both Bristol), A Scott, T Taylor (both Darlington). Backs R Burford (Harlequins), N Hunt (Lichfield), M Jones (Bristol), LT Mason (Darlington), K Mclean (Darlington), A Reed (Bristol), L Riley (Harlequins), E Scarratt vice-capt, Lichfield), E Scott (Saracens), L Thompson (Worcester), D Waterman (Bristol), K Wilson (Richmond), A Hardy (Bristol).
