England women's national rugby union team

National team that represents England in international women's rugby union

England
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Red 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

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 19 out of 28 occasions – winning the Grand Slam 17 times and the Triple Crown 23 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]

History

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 14 separate occasions. This includes 7 consecutive tournament triumphs between 2006 and 2012 and the Grand Slam on 12 more occasions, including 3 times in a row between 2006–2008 and 2010–2012, respectively.

Records

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Top 20 rankings as of 15 April 2024[2]
Rank Change* Team Points
1 Steady  England 096.18
2 Steady  New Zealand 090.56
3 Steady  France 088.00
4 Steady  Canada 086.27
5 Steady  Australia 081.61
6 Increase1  Scotland 077.17
7 Decrease1  Italy 075.13
8 Steady  Wales 073.41
9 Steady  United States 072.57
10 Steady  Ireland 072.35
11 Steady  Japan 069.38
12 Steady  South Africa 065.17
13 Steady  Spain 065.15
14 Steady  Russia 061.10
15 Steady  Samoa 059.57
16 Steady  Netherlands 058.98
17 Steady  Fiji 058.65
18 Steady  Hong Kong 058.31
19 Steady  Kazakhstan 055.97
20 Steady  Sweden 052.72
*Change from the previous week

Overall

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%

World Cup

Rugby World Cup
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad
Wales 1991 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 56 28 Squad
Scotland 1994 Champions 5 5 0 0 172 39 Squad
Netherlands 1998 Third Place 5 4 0 1 219 78 Squad
Spain 2002 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 138 37 Squad
Canada 2006 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 146 47 Squad
England 2010 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 171 23 Squad
France 2014 Champions 5 4 1 0 184 37 Squad
Ireland 2017 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 211 88 Squad
New Zealand 2021 Runners-up 6 5 0 1 270 84 Squad
England 2025 Qualified
Australia 2029 TBD
United States 2033
Total Champions† 44 36 1 7 1487 451
  Champion   Runner-up   Third place   Fourth place
* Tied placing † Best placing Home venue

Six Nations

 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

Players

Current squad

On 11 March 2024, head coach John Mitchell announced England's 35-player squad for the 2024 Women's Six Nations.[3]

Note: The age and number of caps listed for each player is as of 23 March 2024, the first day of the tournament.

Head coach: New Zealand John Mitchell

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Lark Atkin-Davies Hooker (1995-03-03)3 March 1995 (aged 29) 54 England Bristol Bears
Amy Cokayne Hooker (1996-07-11)11 July 1996 (aged 27) 72 England Leicester Tigers
Connie Powell Hooker (2000-07-13)13 July 2000 (aged 23) 14 England Harlequins
Hannah Botterman Prop (1999-06-08)8 June 1999 (aged 24) 42 England Bristol Bears
Mackenzie Carson Prop (1998-11-28)28 November 1998 (aged 25) 10 England Gloucester-Hartpury
Kelsey Clifford Prop (2001-12-11)11 December 2001 (aged 22) 3 England Saracens
Lizzie Hanlon Prop (2001-07-30)30 July 2001 (aged 22) 0 England Exeter Chiefs
Maud Muir Prop (2001-07-12)12 July 2001 (aged 22) 25 England Gloucester-Hartpury
Zoe Aldcroft Lock (1996-11-19)19 November 1996 (aged 26) 48 England Gloucester-Hartpury
Rosie Galligan Lock (1998-04-30)30 April 1998 (aged 25) 14 England Saracens
Catherine O'Donnell Lock (1996-06-13)13 June 1996 (aged 27) 30 England Loughborough Lightning
Morwenna Talling Lock (2002-09-29)29 September 2002 (aged 21) 11 England Sale Sharks
Abbie Ward Lock (1993-03-27)27 March 1993 (aged 30) 61 England Bristol Bears
Sarah Beckett Back row (1999-02-14)14 February 1999 (aged 25) 34 England Gloucester-Hartpury
Poppy Cleall Back row (1992-06-12)12 June 1992 (aged 31) 65 England Saracens
Maddie Fe'aunati Back row (2002-05-18)18 May 2002 (aged 21) 0 England Exeter Chiefs
Sadia Kabeya Back row (2002-02-22)22 February 2002 (aged 22) 13 England Loughborough Lightning
Alex Matthews Back row (1993-08-03)3 August 1993 (aged 30) 62 England Gloucester-Hartpury
Marlie Packer (c) Back row (1989-10-02)2 October 1989 (aged 34) 99 England Saracens
Natasha Hunt Scrum-half (1989-03-21)21 March 1989 (aged 35) 67 England Gloucester-Hartpury
Lucy Packer Scrum-half (2000-02-02)2 February 2000 (aged 24) 16 England Harlequins
Ella Wyrwas Scrum-half (1999-03-07)7 March 1999 (aged 25) 6 England Saracens
Holly Aitchison Fly-half (1997-09-13)13 September 1997 (aged 26) 25 England Bristol Bears
Zoe Harrison Fly-half (1998-04-14)14 April 1998 (aged 25) 46 England Saracens
Helena Rowland Fly-half (1999-09-19)19 September 1999 (aged 24) 28 England Loughborough Lightning
Sophie Bridger Centre (2000-06-26)26 June 2000 (aged 23) 2 England Saracens
Sydney Gregson Centre (1996-01-20)20 January 1996 (aged 28) 3 England Saracens
Tatyana Heard Centre (1995-01-14)14 January 1995 (aged 29) 18 England Gloucester-Hartpury
Megan Jones Centre (1996-10-28)28 October 1996 (aged 27) 16 England Leicester Tigers
Emily Scarratt Centre (1990-02-08)8 February 1990 (aged 34) 108 England Loughborough Lightning
Jessica Breach Wing (1997-11-04)4 November 1997 (aged 26) 33 England Saracens
Abby Dow Wing (1997-09-29)29 September 1997 (aged 26) 40 England Trailfinders
Vicky Laflin Wing (1997-07-23)23 July 1997 (aged 26) 0 England Trailfinders
Ellie Kildunne Fullback (1999-09-08)8 September 1999 (aged 24) 38 England Harlequins
Emma Sing Fullback (2001-03-11)11 March 2001 (aged 23) 6 England Gloucester-Hartpury

List of all players

Notable players

World Rugby Awards

The following England players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:[4]

World Rugby Women's 15s Player of the Year
Year Nominees Winners
2001 Shelley Rae Shelley Rae
2006 Maggie Alphonsi Maggie Alphonsi
2008 Carol Isherwood Carol Isherwood
2010 Maggie Alphonsi (2) —
Nolli Waterman
2012 Michaela Staniford Michaela Staniford
2016 Sarah Hunter Sarah Hunter
2019 Sarah Bern Emily Scarratt
Katy Daley-McLean
Emily Scarratt
2021 Zoe Aldcroft Zoe Aldcroft
Poppy Cleall
2022 Alex Matthews —
2023 Abby Dow Marlie Packer
Marlie Packer
World Rugby Women's 15s Dream Team of the Year
Year Forwards Backs Total
No. Players No. Players
2021 3. Sarah Bern 11. Abby Dow 5
5. Abbie Ward
6. Zoe Aldcroft
8. Poppy Cleall
2022 3. Sarah Bern (2) 13. Emily Scarratt 6
4. Abbie Ward (2)
6. Alex Matthews 15. Abby Dow (2)
7. Marlie Packer
2023 2. Lark Atkin-Davies 11. Abby Dow (3) 7
3. Sarah Bern (3)
4. Zoe Aldcroft (2) 15. Ellie Kildunne
6. Alex Matthews (2)
7. Marlie Packer (2)

World Rugby 2010s Team of the Decade (Forwards)[5]
No. Players Positions
1. Rocky Clark Loosehead Prop
3. Sophie Hemming Tighthead Prop
5. Tamara Taylor Lock
7. Maggie Alphonsi Openside Flanker
World Rugby 2010s Team of the Decade (Backs)[5]
No. Players Positions
10. Katy Daley-McLean Fly-Half
13. Emily Scarratt Outside Centre
14. Lydia Thompson Right Wing
15. Nolli Waterman Full-Back

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 —

Hall of famers

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

Players Year inducted Refs
Carol Isherwood 2014 [6]
Gill Burns 2014 [7]
Maggie Alphonsi 2016 [8]
Sue Dorrington 2022 [9]
Mary Forsyth 2022 [10]

Six Nations Player of the Championship

The following England players have been shortlisted for the Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship since 2020:[11]

Year Nominees Winners
2020 Emily Scarratt Emily Scarratt
2021 Zoe Aldcroft Poppy Cleall
Poppy Cleall
2022 Sarah Bern —
Marlie Packer
2023 Holly Aitchison
Marlie Packer (2)

Rugby Players' Association Player of the Year

The following players have been voted as the RPA England Player of the Year since 2013:[12]

RPA Player of the Year (2013–16)
Year Winners Ref
2013 Emily Scarratt [13]
2014 Rachael Burford [14]
2015 Rocky Clark [15]
2016 Sarah Hunter [16]
RPA Player of the Year (2017–20)
Year Winners Ref
2017 Tamara Taylor [17]
2018 Nolli Waterman [18]
2019 Sarah Bern [19]
2020 Zoe Aldcroft [20]
RPA Player of the Year (2021–)
Year Winners Ref
2021 Poppy Cleall [21]
2022 Marlie Packer [22]
2023 Sadia Kabeya [23]

Individual records

As of 23 March 2024[24]

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

Most Caps
Rank Player Caps
1. Sarah Hunter 141
2. Rocky Clark 137
3. Katy Daley-McLean 116
4. Tamara Taylor 115
5. Emily Scarratt 108
6. Amy Garnett 100
7. Marlie Packer 99
8. Helen Clayton 87
9. Rachael Burford 84
10. Vicky Fleetwood 82
Most Points
Rank Player Points
1. Emily Scarratt 749
2. Katy Daley-McLean 542
3. Sue Day 305
4. Nicola Crawford 285
5. Shelley Rae 275
6. Gill Burns 241
7. Nolli Waterman 235
8. Kat Merchant 225
Lydia Thompson
10. Karen Andrew 221
Most Tries
Rank Player Tries
1. Sue Day 61
2. Nicola Crawford 57
3. Emily Scarratt 53
4. Nolli Waterman 47
5. Kat Merchant 45
Lydia Thompson
7. Marlie Packer 43
8. Jessica Breach 36
Christine Diver
10. Gill Burns 35

Coaches

Current coaching staff

The following table outlines the current England senior coaching team, as of the 2024 Women's Six Nations.[25]

Name Role
New Zealand John Mitchell Head Coach
England Louis Deacon Forwards Coach
England Lou Meadows Attack Coach
England Sarah Hunter Transition Coach
England Charlie Hayter Head of Performance

Notable former coaches

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)

Honours

Winners (2): 1994, 2014[26]
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

References

  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 25 March 2024.
  3. ^ "35-player Red Roses squad announced for Six Nations". www.englandrugby.com. England Rugby. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Carol Isherwood - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Gillian Burns - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Margaret Alphonsi - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  9. ^ "Sue Dorrington - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Mary Forsyth - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  11. ^ "Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship". Six Nations Rugby. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  12. ^ "The RPA Awards – Previous Awards". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  13. ^ "2013 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  14. ^ "2014 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  15. ^ "2015 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  16. ^ "2016 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  17. ^ "2017 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  18. ^ "2018 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  19. ^ "2019 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  20. ^ "2020 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  21. ^ "2021 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  22. ^ "2022 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  23. ^ "2023 – The RPA". therpa.co.uk. Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Player Records". www.englandrugby.com. England Rugby. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  25. ^ "John Mitchell appointed Red Roses Head Coach". www.englandrugby.com. England Rugby. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  26. ^ James Riach (17 August 2014). "England 21-9 Canada – Women's rugby World Cup match report". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2014.

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