England women's national rugby union team


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The England women's national rugby union team, commonly known as the Red Roses, represents England in women's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Women's Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the championship on a total of 20 out of 29 occasions – winning the Grand Slam 18 times and the Triple Crown 24 times – making them the most successful side in the tournament's history, helped by their status as the only fully professional women's team in 2019. They won the Women's Rugby World Cup in 1994 and 2014, and have been runners-up on six other occasions. Their current permanent head coach, as of October 2023, is John Mitchell.[1]

England
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameRed Roses
EmblemRed Rose
UnionRugby Football Union
Head coachJohn Mitchell
CaptainMarlie Packer
Most capsSarah Hunter (141)
Top scorerEmily Scarratt (749)
Top try scorerSue Day (61)
Home stadiumTwickenham

First colours

Second colours

World Rugby ranking
Current1 (as of 9 January 2023)
Highest1 (2012–2013, 2014–2015, 2017, 2020–)
Lowest4 (2015)
First international
 Wales 4–22 England 
(Pontypool, Wales; 5 April 1987)
Biggest win
 England 101–0 South Africa 
(East Molesey, England; 14 May 2005)
Biggest defeat
 New Zealand 67–0 England 
(Burnham, New Zealand; 13 August 1997)
World Cup
Appearances9 (First in 1991)
Best resultChampions (1994, 2014)
 
England at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup.

Until 2009 the badge and logo of England women's national teams was significantly different from that worn by men's teams. However, in 2009 in anticipation of the merger between the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football Union for Women England teams adopted the men's rose.[citation needed]

England have taken part in every Women's Rugby World Cup competition, winning in 1994 and 2014 and finishing as runner-up on six other occasions.

The 1995/1996 season saw the introduction of a Home Nations Championship between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, which England won in its inaugural year. England won the Championship every year, except for the 1997/98 season when it was won by Scotland.

France joined the competition in the 1998/99 season making it the Five Nations Championship, with England achieving the Grand Slam in three successive seasons.

In the 2001/02 season, Ireland rejoined the fold in preparation for the World Cup and the competition expanded to be known as the Six Nations. Since then England have finished lower than runner-up on only 2 occasions, in 2013 and 2015 respectively, and have won the title on 15 separate occasions. This includes 7 consecutive tournament triumphs between 2006 and 2012 and the Grand Slam on 13 more occasions, including 3 times in a row between 2006 and 2008, 2010–2012 and 2022–2024, respectively.

Women's
World Rugby Rankings

Top 20 rankings as of 7 October 2024[2]
Rank Change* Team Points
1     England 096.96
2     Canada 089.90
3     New Zealand 087.25
4     France 086.50
5     Scotland 077.92
6     Ireland 077.25
7     Australia 077.01
8     United States 074.97
9     Italy 074.20
10     Wales 072.10
11  1   Japan 066.89
12  1   South Africa 066.73
13     Spain 064.95
14  1   Russia 061.10
15  2   Samoa 060.56
16  2   Fiji 059.60
17  1   Netherlands 058.91
18     Hong Kong 057.49
19     Kazakhstan 055.23
20     Sweden 052.72
*Change from the previous week
Full internationals only

Correct as of 13 April 2024

Opponent First game Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
  Australia 1998 8 8 0 0 100.00%
  Canada 1993 39 35 1 3 89.74%
  Fiji 2022 1 1 0 0 100.00%
  France 1991 55 42 0 13 76.36%
  Germany 1997 1 1 0 0 100.00%
  Ireland 1996 32 30 0 2 93.75%
  Italy 1991 27 27 0 0 100.00%
  Kazakhstan 2000 3 3 0 0 100.00%
  Netherlands 1990 4 4 0 0 100.00%
  New Zealand 1997 32 12 1 19 37.50%
  Russia 1994 2 2 0 0 100.00%
  Samoa 2005 2 2 0 0 100.00%
  Scotland 1994 32 30 0 2 93.75%
  South Africa 2005 6 6 0 0 100.00%
  Spain 1991 16 14 1 1 87.50%
  Sweden 1988 3 3 0 0 100.00%
  United States 1991 20 19 0 1 95.00%
  Wales 1987 43 41 0 2 95.35%
Total 1987 326 280 3 43 85.39%
Rugby World Cup
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad
  1991 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 56 28 Squad
  1994 Champions 5 5 0 0 172 39 Squad
  1998 Third Place 5 4 0 1 219 78 Squad
  2002 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 138 37 Squad
  2006 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 146 47 Squad
  2010 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 171 23 Squad
  2014 Champions 5 4 1 0 184 37 Squad
  2017 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 211 88 Squad
  2021 Runners-up 6 5 0 1 270 84 Squad
  2025 Qualified
  2029 TBD
  2033
Total Champions† 44 36 1 7 1487 451
  Champion   Runner-up   Third place   Fourth place
* Tied placing † Best placing Home venue
  England   France   Ireland   Italy   Scotland   Spain   Wales
Tournaments 29 26 27 18 29 7 29
Outright Wins 18 6 2 0 1 0 0
Grand Slams 16 5 1 0 1 0 0
Triple Crowns 22 — 2 — 1 — 1
Wooden Spoons 0 0 5 3 9 2 8

On 18 September 2024, head coach John Mitchell announced England's 30-player squad for the WXV 1 competition that will be held in Canada.[3][4]

Note: The age and number of caps listed for each player is as of 27 September 2024, the first day of the tournament.

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Lark Atkin-Davies Hooker 3 March 1995 (aged 29) 59   Bristol Bears
Amy Cokayne Hooker 11 July 1996 (aged 28) 76   Leicester Tigers
Connie Powell Hooker 13 July 2000 (aged 24) 19   Harlequins
Sarah Bern Prop 10 July 1997 (aged 27) 63   Bristol Bears
Hannah Botterman Prop 8 June 1999 (aged 25) 49   Bristol Bears
Mackenzie Carson Prop 28 November 1998 (aged 25) 18   Gloucester-Hartpury
Kelsey Clifford Prop 11 December 2001 (aged 22) 8   Saracens
Maud Muir Prop 12 July 2001 (aged 23) 32   Gloucester-Hartpury
Zoe Aldcroft Lock 19 November 1996 (aged 27) 55   Gloucester-Hartpury
Rosie Galligan Lock 30 April 1998 (aged 26) 16   Saracens
Lilli Ives Campion Lock 10 October 2003 (aged 20) 1   Loughborough Lightning
Abbie Ward Lock 27 March 1993 (aged 31) 66   Bristol Bears
Georgia Brock Back row 19 April 1991 (aged 33) 1   Gloucester-Hartpury
Maddie Feaunati Back row 18 May 2002 (aged 22) 7   Exeter Chiefs
Alex Matthews Back row 3 August 1993 (aged 31) 69   Gloucester-Hartpury
Marlie Packer Back row 2 October 1989 (aged 34) 106   Saracens
Morwenna Talling Back row 29 September 2002 (aged 21) 15   Sale Sharks
Natasha Hunt Scrum-half 21 March 1989 (aged 35) 74   Gloucester-Hartpury
Lucy Packer Scrum-half 2 February 2000 (aged 24) 23   Harlequins
Ella Wyrwas Scrum-half 7 March 1999 (aged 25) 6   Saracens
Holly Aitchison Fly-half 13 September 1997 (aged 27) 32   Bristol Bears
Zoe Harrison Fly-half 14 April 1998 (aged 26) 51   Saracens
Tatyana Heard Centre 14 January 1995 (aged 29) 24   Gloucester-Hartpury
Phoebe Murray Centre 1 March 1999 (aged 25) 1   Bristol Bears
Helena Rowland Centre 19 September 1999 (aged 25) 31   Loughborough Lightning
Emily Scarratt Centre 8 February 1990 (aged 34) 113   Loughborough Lightning
Jessica Breach Wing 4 November 1997 (aged 26) 40   Saracens
Abigail Dow Wing 29 September 1997 (aged 26) 47   Ealing Trailfinders
Bo Westcombe-Evans Wing 18 August 2002 (aged 22) 1   Loughborough Lightning
Ellie Kildunne Fullback 8 September 1999 (aged 25) 45   Harlequins

On 3 June 2024, the RFU confirmed it had awarded full-time central contracts to 32 England senior players for the 2024–25 season, with an additional 8 players receiving transition contracts.[5]

Red Roses Contracted Players (2024–25)

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Full-backs

Transition players

The following England players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:[6]

World Rugby Women's 15s Try of the Year
Year Date Nominee Match Tournament Winner
2021 30 April Abby Dow vs. France Exhibition Match —
2022 5 November Abby Dow (2) vs. Canada Rugby World Cup Abby Dow
2023 29 April Zoe Aldcroft vs. France Six Nations —

England have five former players who have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame:

Players Year inducted Refs
Carol Isherwood 2014 [8]
Gill Burns 2014 [9]
Maggie Alphonsi 2016 [10]
Sue Dorrington 2022 [11]
Mary Forsyth 2022 [12]

The following England players have been recognised in the Women's Six Nations Awards since 2020:[13][14][15][16][17]

Rugby Players' Association Player of the Year

edit

The following players have been voted as the RPA England Player of the Year since 2013:[19]

As of 27 April 2024[32]

Players active at international level as of April 2024 are listed in bold italics.

Current coaching staff

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The following table outlines the current England senior coaching team, as of the 2024 Women's Six Nations.[33]

Name Role
  John Mitchell Head Coach
  Louis Deacon Forwards Coach
  Lou Meadows Attack Coach
  Sarah Hunter Defence Coach
  Charlie Hayter Head of Performance
  Brian Ashton Coaching Consultant

Notable former coaches

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1x World Cup winner (2014)
1x World Cup runner-up (2010)
6x Six Nations winner (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
1x World Rugby Coach of the Year (2021)
2x World Cup runner-up (2017, 2021)
6x Six Nations winner (2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Winners (2): 1994, 2014[34]
Runners-up (6): 1991, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2021
Winners (1): 2023
Winners (20): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Grand Slam (18): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
Triple Crown (24): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
Winners (5): 1997, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012
Runners-up (1): 2004
  1. ^ Orchard, Sara (4 May 2023). "England: John Mitchell appointed women's head coach after Simon Middleton departure". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Women's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Red Roses WXV 1 squad announced". Rugby Football Union. 18 September 2024. Archived from the original on 21 September 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ^ Perkins, Bruce (23 September 2024). "All 18 squads for the 2024 WXV". 4 The Love Of Sport. Retrieved 28 September 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ "Red Roses contracts announced for 2024/25". England Rugby. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Eight Red Roses named in World Rugby team of the decade". www.englandrugby.com. England Rugby. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  8. ^ "Carol Isherwood - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Gillian Burns - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  10. ^ "Margaret Alphonsi - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Sue Dorrington - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  12. ^ "Mary Forsyth - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  13. ^ "Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship". Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  14. ^ "Poppy Cleall crowned 2021 Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship". Six Nations Rugby. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Kildunne wins Guinness Player of the Championship". Six Nations Rugby. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  16. ^ "2022 TikTok Women's Six Nations Team of the Championship revealed". Six Nations Rugby. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Revealed: The Fans' 2024 Team of the Championship". Six Nations Rugby. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Try of the Championship - Vote Now". sixnationsrugby.com. Women's Six Nations. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  19. ^ "The RPA Awards – Previous Awards". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  20. ^ "2013 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  21. ^ "2014 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  22. ^ "2015 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  23. ^ "2016 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  24. ^ "2017 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  25. ^ "2018 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  26. ^ "2019 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  27. ^ "2020 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  28. ^ "2021 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  29. ^ "2022 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  30. ^ "2023 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  31. ^ "The RPA Awards: 2024 Winners". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  32. ^ "Player Records". www.englandrugby.com. England Rugby. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  33. ^ "John Mitchell appointed Red Roses Head Coach". www.englandrugby.com. England Rugby. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  34. ^ James Riach (17 August 2014). "England 21-9 Canada – Women's rugby World Cup match report". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2014.