Latest news with #RugbyWorldCup
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
John Mitchell reveals two Red Roses who could offer scrum-half cover at World Cup
Red Roses head coach John Mitchell has revealed that England are looking at wings Claudia MacDonald and Mia Venner as possible options as scrum half cover ahead of naming their squad for the Rugby World Cup on home soil later this year. Mitchell has begun the process of whittling down his wider squad to the 32 names permitted to be named in his group for the tournament, with England's selection set to be confirmed on 24 July. The veteran coach intends to take a split of 18 forwards and 14 backs to the World Cup, leaving positional versatility required in several areas of his squad. Advertisement Predecessor Simon Middleton took only two specialist scrum halves to the last World Cup in New Zealand, with veteran Natasha 'Mo' Hunt a surprise omission with MacDonald covering as the third nine despite operating largely on the wing during the tournament. Injury then struck first-choice scrum half Leanne Infante on the day of the final, leaving the relatively untested Lucy Packer to start at short notice with MacDonald playing half-an-hour off the bench. While the pair produced good performances, Middleton faced criticism for his selection gamble at the time and in retrospect, and Hunt has since returned to seize the starting shirt with Packer now her back-up. Scrum halves Ella Wyrwas and Flo Robinson are both part of the Red Roses training squad but Mitchell has confirmed that he is looking at the options that forgoing a third specialist nine might present. Advertisement 'I've already said that I'm planning on taking an 18-14 split,' Mitchell reiterated. 'That helps us prepare, especially in our units. And that just means that some girls will have versatile roles. Claudia MacDonald may provide scrum half cover (PA) 'It'll be hard on some players in the sense that some specialists might miss out as a result of the versatility that's needed in an 18-14 split. Claudia MacDonald is definitely being looked at as a scrum half option. Mia [Venner] also presents that as well. Mia also presents the versatility as a full-back. The outside backs, you've got to fit six girls into five, so that's going to be a challenging selection, but a good one.' Venner operated at scrum half earlier in her career and filled in impressively while Hunt was in the sin bin during Gloucester Hartpury's Premiership Women's Rugby final win earlier this year. MacDonald, meawhile, has battled back from a career-threatening neck injury to push for a starting place on the wing. Advertisement Throughout his tenure, Mitchell has made an effort to keep players fully informed of their place in the make-up of the squad and likely roles, something he intends to continue ahead of the World Cup. Hunt's omission came as a surprise ahead of the last tournament, with her exclusion reported in the press ahead of the announcement with a delay between Middleton telling his players and the squad being officially revealed. Natasha Hunt (left) is one of a quartet of Red Roses hoping to win a second World Cup (Getty) Mitchell is unconcerned about the prospect of a possible repeat of that scenario, with most players informed of his plans for them after a warm weather training camp in Treviso from 7 July to 12 July. 'I'm not really worried about anything leaking or when it is. I think that we've been pretty consistent. If you look at the group that's come in, the wider group that's part of the group, they know what's expected of them. Advertisement 'They also are aware of the intentions and the purpose of why they're doing things. Eventually, as we get down the track, everyone will know our pool plans as well. So we work on the people that are probably on the fringes first. That's very clear to them what's expected of them. They just need to be ready because if they get that phone call from me, it could be in a World Cup or a match, it could be in a World Cup quarter-final.' Centre Emily Scarratt is hoping to make a fifth World Cup, with flanker Marlie Packer also pushing for selection despite losing the captaincy at the start of this year. England take on Spain and France in two warm-up games ahead of the tournaments, which will both be capped internationals. A renewed list of Red Roses contracts is expected to be confirmed imminently ahead of the tournament.
Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Times
John Mitchell: Leading Red Roses at World Cup is like coaching All Blacks
It ranks among the most comprehensive midweek defeats for tourists from these isles. In 1993 the British & Irish Lions had beaten New Zealand to take the series to a decider, and three days later they were thumped 38-10 in Hamilton. Among the Waikato XV that day were Ian Foster, Warren Gatland and John Mitchell. 'Antipodeans wait for the Lions,' Mitchell says. 'You just want that opportunity, and then it's a 12-year cycle as well, so that's why it's really important. When you've got confidence as a provincial side and you give yourself a chance of winning, you go for it.' A quantity surveyor at the time, he recalls the occasion: 'Three o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon, 35,000 people, probably not all of them on annual leave. Then the night we won and went into the night, I think I was driving around the Welsh president in my Ford Escort to try to find another pub. 'The next morning I had to report for work at 7.30am. I still remember my workmate, Derek Hobbs, he could see I was a little bit seedy and I had to go to the doctor for antibiotics because I think I cut my elbow open.' Fast forward 32 years and more pressing for Mitchell, 61, is the Women's Rugby World Cup in England, beginning on August 22, for which the Red Roses are favourites after a run of 55 wins in 56 Tests (the defeat being the previous World Cup final). They began their campaign on June 2 after a five-week break, starting with a first day of connection, sharing stories and photographs about the time off. Punishing fitness work from the first two camps will continue, twinned with increasing tactical work, to help deal with incidents such as the first-half red card for Lydia Thompson three years ago, en route to a fifth defeat in finals by the Black Ferns. 'If we don't create that exposure, then we're probably going to let ourselves down like the last World Cup,' Mitchell says. Mitchell has coached at several men's World Cups. In 2003 he led the All Blacks, 16 years on from their only win at the time, into the tournament. 'It does feel similar to that, but probably what's different is that I'm a little bit older and a bit more experienced,' Mitchell says. 'The young John Mitchell, he was 37 or 40 way back then, has done a few miles. I would love to have had the experience that I've got now back then. But hey, that's life, you've got to learn it. 'I've been in too many World Cups where people make it bigger than what it actually is. It's just a tournament, and it's a big tournament. Just focus on what you can control and make sure you don't get distracted by stuff from the outside world that affects the week.' More than 300,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament, more than double the record attendance in New Zealand three years ago, and Mitchell is aware of the World Cup's role in the growth of the women's game, as well as the status of the Red Roses. 'To me, it's significant; we stand for something, we've set a standard, but we also haven't won a World Cup for 11 years, so how do we get down what we haven't had for a long time?' he says. 'We mustn't have been doing something right. 'We've got an opportunity to embrace this, take it on, and create our own story that ultimately can help our girls pass on the message for a lot longer than when you come second. I guess that's the powerful opportunity while this tournament is under our watch.'
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
New documentary explores one of the most turbulent periods in All Black history
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the most iconic and transcendent game of rugby ever played. Unfortunately for the All Blacks, it was one they lost. The 1995 Rugby World Cup final , won 15-12 by the Springboks after extra time, has gone down as the day that the new nation of South Africa was born. The truth is a little bit more complicated than that, but New Zealand's memories of it generally revolve around Jonah Lomu and Suzy the Waitress. Frank Bunce in action during the final of the Rugby World Cup between the All Blacks and South Africa in 1995. Photo: Photosport Sky Sport are filling a rare rugby-free Saturday evening with Back From The End Of The World , a documentary about the All Blacks' journey through a very turbulent period leading up to the World Cup. It's told very much from coach Laurie Mains' point of view, as well as players like Ian Jones, Eric Rush and Frank Bunce, and takes its name from the famous French try that handed the All Blacks their last defeat on Eden Park way back in 1994. Back From The End Of The World certainly does its best to hit all the right nostalgic buttons, with enough time passed between then and now to elicit some refreshing honesty from the infamously tight-lipped All Black environment. You have to remember that the World Cup was only one part of the dramatic situation rugby found itself in at the time, with the game hurtling towards professionalism and everyone trying to get their hands on the wheel. Here's a look back at what was happening: Jonah Lomu and Sean Fitzpatrick. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport If you think the last few years of All Black rugby was up and down, Mains' tenure as coach was a real rollercoaster. He started with a shock loss to the World XV, had the Bledisloe Cup bounce back and forth across the Tasman every season and lost to England for only the third time ever. On the other hand, they won series' against the Springboks and British Lions in consecutive years and won at Ellis Park. In order to get the All Blacks fit enough to play the style of game he wanted, Mains put the players through a hellish fitness regime across three training camps. Days would usually involve six hours of team training, followed by fitness sessions. "The only way I could get them fit to the level we want was if I was controlling it and not their provincial coaches," said Mains. "We said 'at the end of these camps, some of the players will fall by the wayside and it'll make our selections easier'." All the while, the constant narrative was whether Mains should be coach at all. John Hart had been publicly lobbying for sole charge of the job after being a co-coach in 1991, and it felt like everyone had an opinion of the matter. It didn't quite reach the same sort of drama as when Ian Foster was competing against Scott Robertson, but it wasn't far off. Jonah Lomu and Eric Rush. Photo: supplied "We desperately wanted Jonah and we were going to do everything we could in our power to get him up to the fitness levels required," said Mains. "I included Fitzy [captain Sean Fitzpatrick] in the discussions I had with [assistant coaches] Earle Kirton and Brian Lochore, who both said 'he's not ready to play in a World Cup for the All Blacks. Within a quarter of an hour, Eric Rush and Olo Brown both came to me and said we'll take Jonah running and make him work." Lomu's teammates' support and encouragement meant he was able to gain selection and become the most iconic player in the game's history. Right now we're trying to predict who will start in the 10 jersey next weekend between Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie, two players that have almost 200 caps worth of experience between them. Andrew Mehrtens had one by the time the World Cup started, a selection that would be utterly unthinkable now. "It was getting pretty desperate… We were so lucky one just fell into our lap" admitted Mains. Back From The End Of The World wisely skips over the main controversy of the World Cup, with Mains thankfully not quoted on a matter that saw him launch a private investigation at his own expense. The story of Suzy the Waitress has been done to death and it's quite clear from the players ever since that they believe it was a simple case of food poisoning rather than anything nefarious.
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
John Mitchell reveals two Red Roses who could offer scrum-half cover at World Cup
Red Roses head coach John Mitchell has revealed that England are looking at wings Claudia MacDonald and Mia Venner as possible options as scrum half cover ahead of naming their squad for the Rugby World Cup on home soil later this year. Mitchell has begun the process of whittling down his wider squad to the 32 names permitted to be named in his group for the tournament, with England's selection set to be confirmed on 24 July. The veteran coach intends to take a split of 18 forwards and 14 backs to the World Cup, leaving positional versatility required in several areas of his squad. Predecessor Simon Middleton took only two specialist scrum halves to the last World Cup in New Zealand, with veteran Natasha 'Mo' Hunt a surprise omission with MacDonald covering as the third nine despite operating largely on the wing during the tournament. Injury then struck first-choice scrum half Leanne Infante on the day of the final, leaving the relatively untested Lucy Packer to start at short notice with MacDonald playing half-an-hour off the bench. While the pair produced good performances, Middleton faced criticism for his selection gamble at the time and in retrospect, and Hunt has since returned to seize the starting shirt with Packer now her back-up. Scrum halves Ella Wyrwas and Flo Robinson are both part of the Red Roses training squad but Mitchell has confirmed that he is looking at the options that forgoing a third specialist nine might present. 'I've already said that I'm planning on taking an 18-14 split,' Mitchell reiterated. 'That helps us prepare, especially in our units. And that just means that some girls will have versatile roles. 'It'll be hard on some players in the sense that some specialists might miss out as a result of the versatility that's needed in an 18-14 split. Claudia MacDonald is definitely being looked at as a scrum half option. Mia [Venner] also presents that as well. Mia also presents the versatility as a full-back. The outside backs, you've got to fit six girls into five, so that's going to be a challenging selection, but a good one.' Venner operated at scrum half earlier in her career and filled in impressively while Hunt was in the sin bin during Gloucester Hartpury's Premiership Women's Rugby final win earlier this year. MacDonald, meawhile, has battled back from a career-threatening neck injury to push for a starting place on the wing. Throughout his tenure, Mitchell has made an effort to keep players fully informed of their place in the make-up of the squad and likely roles, something he intends to continue ahead of the World Cup. Hunt's omission came as a surprise ahead of the last tournament, with her exclusion reported in the press ahead of the announcement with a delay between Middleton telling his players and the squad being officially revealed. Mitchell is unconcerned about the prospect of a possible repeat of that scenario, with most players informed of his plans for them after a warm weather training camp in Treviso from 7 July to 12 July. 'I'm not really worried about anything leaking or when it is. I think that we've been pretty consistent. If you look at the group that's come in, the wider group that's part of the group, they know what's expected of them. 'They also are aware of the intentions and the purpose of why they're doing things. Eventually, as we get down the track, everyone will know our pool plans as well. So we work on the people that are probably on the fringes first. That's very clear to them what's expected of them. They just need to be ready because if they get that phone call from me, it could be in a World Cup or a match, it could be in a World Cup quarter-final.' Centre Emily Scarratt is hoping to make a fifth World Cup, with flanker Marlie Packer also pushing for selection despite losing the captaincy at the start of this year. England take on Spain and France in two warm-up games ahead of the tournaments, which will both be capped internationals. A renewed list of Red Roses contracts is expected to be confirmed imminently ahead of the tournament.
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
John Mitchell: ‘People see the Red Roses as an easy team to coach - but it's a very challenging programme'
The wind is whipping along the terrace at the back of England's Teddington training base, rattling the protective canopies overhead, but John Mitchell is presenting an image of perfect tranquillity. Pupils scanning in an ever-considered manner from behind the clear-framed eyewear that have become his trademark, a Red Roses bucket hat adorns his familiar dome, the head coach fresh off the training paddock as preparations intensify for a Rugby World Cup for which England expects. Mitchell's squad came together at the start of June; they will not properly disperse, they hope, until after a trophy is lifted at Twickenham on 27 September. A team that has been unbeaten since World Cup final heartbreak in Auckland are fully focussed on ensuring they go one better this time around. If the New Zealander's appointment raised eyebrows in 2023 – Mitchell had never worked in the women's game – it was for this period that he was so coveted as England prepare for a tournament that, for many reasons, they will feel they have to win. 'I think people see it as an easy team to coach and that might look like that from the results,' Mitchell explains, having not yet lost in the job. 'But to me it's a very challenging programme that gets me up every morning. 'They give you a lot of energy back. They're highly driven. They're highly competitive. They don't like sitting second in the pecking order. 'They all want to make it. They all want to get better. And I think they're hungry as well because they haven't got something done in 11 years. So to be part of that and to lead that means I've got to pay attention to where the team needs to improve.' Mitchell's desire to lead a programme again was a key factor in his desire to take on the role; it helped, too, that he was based in Surrey and already familiar with the English ecosystem from two stints as an assistant with the men's team. He emerged as the chosen candidate to take the Red Roses into the World Cup with something of an outsider's edge, the 61-year-old carrying with him no preconceptions of the job he was about to take on but the experience of a broad coaching career that began almost three decades ago. His buy-in since taking the role has been clear; the bucket hat is a nod to that. In his time as coach, Mitchell has popped up in TikTok videos and been greeted by a Being John Malkovich-esque room full of cut-outs of his head. It is a culture rather different to that which he oversaw with the All Blacks at the turn of the century – yet the squad all suggest they have been encouraged to embrace and celebrate their somewhat idiosyncratic identities. The scrutiny heightens, though, as the World Cup looms ever larger and the focus will be on ensuring a side unbeaten in their last 25 games remains ahead of the chasing pack. Mitchell, and England, are not yet considering the threats that Canada, New Zealand or France might pose, knowing that they have to get out of the group first, but setting standards has been a consistent motivating force in recent years. Their preparations for the tournament will include a trip to Treviso, the sort of warm-weather camp now commonplace for men's sides ahead of a World Cup but believed to be the first of its kind for England's women. Having made clarity of communication a priority in his tenure, most of Mitchell's players will know by the time they arrive back from Italy on 12 July where the stand in the pecking order before the official World Cup squad is named 12 days later. 'It will probably be our most uncomfortable training camp of all of them because it will be hot and you'll get bothered,' Mitchell says of the week in Treviso. 'The amount that we've layered on our game will put them under a lot of questions through scenarios, the unfairness that comes in the games through cards, those sorts of things. The play to rest ratios will be probably a little bit lower as well. 'I think it's really important to go away from your country and that will create connection as well. The heat will in itself create its own duress. I'd rather be ready for every eventuality. If we don't create that exposure then we're probably going to let ourselves down, like the last World Cup [where England's Lydia Thompson was sent off in the first half].' Mitchell will balance the need to develop cohesion with getting minutes into his wider squad in two warm-up games against Spain and France ahead of the opening fixture of the World Cup against the United States in Sunderland on 22 August. After defence coach Sarah Hunter 's return from maternity leave, it is a settled staff with no further additions planned before the tournament. A strong CV possessed by the Kiwi coach does have one glaring omission. Mitchell is yet to be part of a World Cup win, his All Blacks in 2003 undone by Australia and, a little, themselves at the semi-final stage and Eddie Jones's England beaten by South Africa in the final in 2019 while Mitchell was overseeing their defence. This would appear a golden opportunity to correct the record – though he insists his focus is fully on the team. 'I think I've been in that position where you individually put yourself first,' Mitchell admits. 'I think what the game has taught me the older I've gotten is that you just put yourself second, and just control what you can control, and deal with whatever happens. Ultimately, I think when you do that, you enjoy it more and there's less pressure on yourself to do that. 'This team's attracted to consistency. It's not in a hurry to give that up. It knows it's going to be challenged in its home World Cup and we know that we've got to earn the right to contest the final. There's plenty to do and that's why we're working hard into the tournament.'
