2029 auditions and unpredictability: John Mitchell sets England's sights on the WXV Global Series

A John Mitchell press conference 30 days out from the Red Roses’ first WXV Global Series fixture of 2026 felt akin to the first assembly of a new school year.

Players roam the various halls at the University of Nottingham wearing their new team kit. There have been several new faces in camp. A few new lessons being taught. It really is the start of something new. And that is just about where the ‘back to school’ analogy ends.

The Red Roses will arrive into the WXV Global Series riding the ever-growing wave of their 38-match unbeaten streak. It was only in May that Mitchell’s side secured a fifth Guinness Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam in a row. Soon enough it will be one year since their Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 triumph over Canada in front of a world record crowd at Allianz Stadium. Things are very much business as usual.

In the time off, there have been some changes; Red Roses head coach John Mitchell became a British citizen. Although he joked he was happier to be an “English citizen” having coached the men’s and women’s national teams for the majority of his career.

It is also something that the 62-year-old had put off for the better part of 26 years. Although his swotting up for the test has made the New Zealand-born coach a sought-after resource at his village’s pub quiz.

“I paid 190 quid to avoid going in a queue,” Mitchell smiled. “I got a one-on-one, the lady’s name was Hannah, and she goes; do the oath, do the pledge and now we’re going to do the national anthem.

“Then she says, ‘oh, it used to be so much easier in the old days because I had a CD – this modern world is so complicated and I can’t find the national anthem on my computer’.

“She was fidgeting away trying to find it and I said, ‘oh, by the way, I’ve got it on my Apple Music, is it okay if I play it?’. I played it, and I belted it out, and she goes, ‘oh, no one’s ever done that before’. And I said, ‘I’ve had plenty of practice’.”

England have even had visitors in camp in the form of Abbie Ward and Lark Atkin-Davies. Each have given birth in recent weeks; Ward to her second daughter, Lila, while Atkin-Davies became a mother to Olive. And in front of Mitchell sat two stuffed toys.

“I’ve got gifts for them,” he said. “If you’re a first baby you get a pink giraffe. If you’re a second baby, you get a little elephant. If [it is] anything like previous competitions where the girls have come in, it is good for them. [It] energises the other girls.”

England are sure to be challenged across September and October. Clashes with Australia, New Zealand and the USA Women’s Eagles, and a three-Test series against Canada, will push the Red Roses to their absolute limit.

In Manchester they will, almost ceremonially, pass on the torch as Women’s Rugby World Cup hosts to the Wallaroos. Their clash with the Black Ferns comes on the eve of their Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 success a year prior.  The USA Women’s Eagles are undoubtedly keen to build on the positives of Jack Hanratty’s early tenure as head coach.

But it is the three-fixtures against Kévin Rouet’s Canada that truly catch the eye. A repeat of last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup final, match-ups in Exeter, Toronto and Ottawa are a hugely enticing prospect. Something that the reigning World Rugby Coach of the Year believes will provide a unique challenge for his team.

“We’ve got a one-off against Australia, New Zealand and America – but we’ve got a Test series against Canada,” Mitchell said. “That’s a really nice challenge. Not only for us as a group, but it’s also a really nice challenge for us as a coaching group as well.

“You don’t get put in too many series. It’s probably not too dissimilar to New Zealand about to play South Africa in a series [Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry].

“It requires a little bit more unpredictability. If you become predictable in a series then you’re more likely to get put away. That’s what excites me, and certainly the coaching group.”

Along with the excitement of three Tests against Canada, Mitchell believes that six fixtures across eight weeks can offer some indication about what his Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 squad could look like.

In his extended 40 player training squad Mitchell included six uncapped players – Bryony Field, Keevy Fitzpatrick, Hayley Jones, Annabel Meta, Amelia MacDougall and Carmela Morrall – all of whom want to be at the forefront of England’s next golden era.

“There’s no tournament to win, so we can be very patient around how we go about things,” Mitchell said.

“It’s kind of like you’re auditioning for Australia in ’29, because geographically we’re definitely going to be travelling some distance in this tournament.

“I think in many ways we’re trying to mirror that and understand how important our connections are and play exciting rugby.

“We’re tweaking our game – evolving it. But it’s very clear. The girls [are] showing enthusiasm around building and developing their skillsets for our game.

“I want to see people compete. Because, ultimately, they’ll earn the trust when it comes to ’29.”

When it comes to England’s evolving attack, there has been a development in the backroom staff. Last season Emily Scarratt, after her retirement from rugby at the end of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, split her time between the Red Roses and Loughborough Lightning.

Now the two-time Women’s Rugby World Cup winner has joined the England coaching ticket on a full-time basis. Upon the announcement of his extended training squad this August, Mitchell described his desire to play “lethal attacking rugby”, something which the 62-year-old believes Scarratt can be key to.

“Ems is a really good new acquisition to the coaching group – I think we’re smarter as a group for it,” Mitchell said.

“Where I want to take our game strategically, she understands how to build that. We started that in Six Nations. I think you would have seen a slightly new identity and an approach, and obviously the detail to that is still growing.

“Now that Ems is full-time, she can fully immerse herself in that. Currently she does all the backs work and all the structured attack, I do all the phase attack and she builds the skills towards it.

“We work together – and Louis Deacon plays a part in that, because you’ve got the lineout attack and he looks after the rucks. Our roles are really, really clear.

“When she first started, I didn’t want to overwhelm her a whole lot of stuff – so I gave her a tight remit and she got after that.

“When you can see people be successful and they engender a good vibe amongst the players, then you give away a little bit more. She certainly has the ability to take the total attack. It is great to have her on board.”