A wet Wednesday at base camp: A morning with the Red Roses
Put simply, spending a few hours at Pennyhill Park on a cold and blustery Wednesday – in between rounds one and two of the Women’s Six Nations, and intermittent showers of cats, dogs, monkeys, devils, and pitchforks – is to watch the best team in the world work through one of their toughest training days.
It’s observing a meticulous warm-up; half an hour of units drills; thirty further minutes where the backs run moves outdoors as the forwards run lifts, throws, and shoves in their cavernous 4G cathedral; and then a relentless chunk of 15-on-15 before lunch.
Ostensibly – it’s the better part of a morning’s rugby, ahead of an afternoon’s battle-hardening in the gym. An impressive operation, featuring 30-plus of the sport’s very best, and a troupe of coaches leaving no stone unturned as they march towards the succession of peaks looming on the horizon.
Wales at Ashton Gate this Saturday, a potential Grand Slam decider in Bordeaux next month, a Twickenham tussle with the Black Ferns later on in the year, and – eventually, the most formidable of them all – the 2025 World Cup. John Mitchell refers to it as their ‘Everest’, which feels appropriately Herculean.
At points, as the rain buckets down and a sodden Jess Breach tucks frozen fingers beneath her armpits in between torpedoes along the touchline, it feels they’re at Base Camp already. These conditions – both the driving rain and the rarefied air – aren’t for the faint-hearted, but for those 18 short months away from that final. *The* final.
It’s also so much more than that. It’s the state-of-the-art facilities – like the giant screens on which individual plays are rewound, cued, and analysed for nuanced and immediate improvements.
It’s the slickness of it all, as the component parts of the overall session flow into one another like movements in a symphony, and reveal themselves to be as considered as a Taylor Swift Easter egg.
Not only are things choreographed to perfection, so that not a minute is wasted and even the girls’ snack break is designed to simulate half-time in a Test match, but the coaches are constantly assessing the calibre of session they’re delivering. A ‘good’ week’s hustle isn’t just successful reps or performance targets ticked off: it’s how the staff fulfilled their roles, and how slickly the rose-adorned machinery operated.
It’s the coaches themselves. Nathan Catt, whose impact on England’s Six Nations-clinching U20s this year was enormous, and who’s dedicating swathes of time to one-on-one work with the front rowers – even packing down himself to illustrate points.
Lou Meadows, who’s crafting a system in which some of the game’s most blockbuster, defence-decimating attackers can both find touchpoints and express themselves.
Louis Deacon, whose scrum and maul session is a bubbling cauldron of intent and physicality.
Sarah Hunter, who misses nothing, and injects succinct individual pointers with a smile and 141 caps’ worth of experience.
England men’s captain Jamie George, who’s popped down – of his own accord – to work with the Grand Slam-defending hookers after an uncharacteristically wonky day in the office in Parma.
Oh, and Mitchell himself, who had the entire squad’s names memorised before his first day in the tracksuit, and who breaks off from our conversation to check in with each and every athlete as they leave the paddock.
He’s been amazed by the way these women can be singing and joking en route to a Test match, but then effortlessly snap down their visors to become their most gladiatorial selves. The same team who had his headshot made into masks for his sixtieth last week, who insisted he oversee their Italian training run in a giant badge for that same birthday, and who shriek with delight whenever they win a round in their ongoing inter-squad competition.
🎶 “ONE JOHN MITCHELL…THERE’S ONLY ONE JOHN MITCHELL” 🎶
A birthday with a difference for our new head coach.#WearTheRose | @O2
— Red Roses (@RedRosesRugby) March 27, 2024
Four colours, multiple opportunities to climb the leaderboard, and one team crowned winners at the end of each week. The prize? Coffees, on ‘Mitch’. They all speak about him with a huge amount of warmth and respect. The only foot he’s put wrong so far, by all accounts, is giving away to Maddie Feaunati that her parents were heading to Parma to surprise her on the occasion of her first cap…
The All Blacks are the only other squad he’s coached with such extraordinary depth, he says, but what excites him the most about these Red Roses is the fact that they’re not aware of their own enormous potential.
Their ceiling is towering – they’ve so much room to grow – and that’s a thrilling challenge for a man who, lest we forget, sought out and applied for this role of his own volition. Mitchell wasn’t courted by the RFU: he came to them, eager to guide England back to the summit of a World Cup podium.
He stalks the fringes of the final block of the session like an Umbro-sponsored dementor – cap low and vast hooded jacket zipped high – occasionally stabbing a whistle blast through the frog-strangling conditions before barking an order.
The players are really going for it by this point – hurtling at and past one another with all they have, whilst both self-policing standards and proving one another’s most fervent cheerleaders. It’s tough going, but they empty their world-class tanks, and then – without exception – stay on for extras.
Mo Hunt and Lucy Packer box kick again and again until they’ve each rattled the crossbar a few times, Abby Dow – who’s never looked stronger or more agile – hoovers up high balls, and the forwards smash pads as the rain continues to fall.
Also plummeting is Maud Muir, who takes a tumble over her own boots with absolutely no one around her. This, apparently, is a regular occurrence from the clumsiest member of the squad, who accidentally skated all the way from the dressing rooms to the ice baths last week: her Birkenstocks about as useful as a chocolate teapot as she careered down the steep grassy slope.
The ice baths are, perhaps, my favourite part. The final hurdle between the gruelling session and lunch in the warm – tottered towards in sliders, garish swimwear, and towels – and tackled with approaches ranging from silent resignation (Sadia Kabeya) to squeals and sheer melodrama (most of them, to be honest).
Abbie Ward was stoic, Hannah Botterman demanding regular updates on exactly how much longer she had to endure, and Hunt stayed in for a couple of extra agonising minutes to keep Sydney Gregson – the last to arrive – company. All incredibly on-brand. One by one, the myriad timers released the redder-than-ever Roses, and their morning’s work was done. Lunch. Gym. Thai takeaway. Scene. Another Wednesday’s honing in the books.
There you have it. Not a review of a Parma, which displayed problem-solving and colossal individual talent, if not accuracy or instinctive attacking cohesion (yet). Nor a preview of a Bristolian battle which promises lashings of physicality and ambition before a crowd of 18,000.
Hopefully, though, a glimpse of what’s taking place out in Bagshot, where the world’s best are – with the soft rumble of distant thunder – preparing to conquer Everest.
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
31 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
31 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
31 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
31 Go to comments