‘Hungry’ Red Roses ready to hunt down Canada after unbeaten run ends

“We’re very hungry and we want to keep hunting,” Red Roses captain Meg Jones said ahead of her side’s third and final WXV Global Series clash against Canada this Friday.

England’s remarkable 41-match unbeaten run came to an end as Kévin Rouet’s Canada clinched a 24-21 victory at BMO Field in Toronto.

But rather than dwelling on the result, England captain Jones believes the narrow loss provides an opportunity to learn, adapt and respond against fellow Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025  finalists, Canada.

“There are some people who haven’t lost in an England jersey, so it was good to recognise that. We’ve got a leadership group and we’ve had some good and honest conversations.

“The message this week was really about going, ‘Whatever you feel, feel it, but when we get onto the park, let’s park it’. We’ve had a good training week, and I’ve been really proud of how the girls have responded.”

The centre continued, “We want to play the best teams. You want to see where your game needs adapting, where there’s maybe cracks and also put things into practice against the best teams.

“To have the opportunity to go back-to-back against them in Canada is amazing.”

Last week’s meeting also provided a landmark occasion for women’s rugby in North America, with 18,621 spectators attending the match in Toronto to set an attendance record for a standalone women’s rugby fixture on the continent.

“The crowd at the first game was fantastic and I think Canada did a fantastic job in getting all those red shirts out and making sure they had the crowd behind them.

“That was huge for them for them and huge for the game as well. You’ve got to remember we’re here to develop the game regardless of what the outcome is and now we have an opportunity not be defined by the outcome.”

As the Red Roses look to level the series against Canada, following a nail-biting 26-26 draw at Sandy Park in September and last week’s 24-21 defeat in Toronto, head coach John Mitchell has made four changes to his starting team, including dropping full-back Ellie Kildunne to the bench.

Speaking about his selection decisions, Mitchell explained, “We’ve recovered really well after a very physical match. The response has been outstanding, and the girls have really applied themselves this week.

“We’ve got to maximise our depth, we’re going to deal with the now and I’ve got some future in mind as well.

“We’re after consistency. We need to be consistent in our actions and that’s one of the things we’ve focused heavily on this week is what’s in our control.

“It is undisputed she [Ellie Kildunne] adds huge value. She’s going through a difficult period at the moment and it’s important for us to help her through that.

“She wants to become more consistent as well and she’ll get back.

“It’s also important to create competition and to recognise that you have to become more consistent, especially when you’re competing in the Red Roses.

“It’s really important to reinforce the behaviours that we think are necessary to our game and that goes for everyone.”

For Mitchell, the defeat also reflects the progress being made by England’s rivals as the international game continues to develop.

“The game is moving quickly and the opposition are improving. It’s fantastic for us,” he said.

“We didn’t design that last week to happen, but it was always going to happen at some point and it’s now how we use it properly and respond to it.

“We’re still three years out [to Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029] and we’ve got two sides in the world that are probably playing outstanding rugby at the moment and we’re a little bit off. Only a little bit!

“It’s kind of a good place to be in and it’s something that will drive us ultimately. I’ll leave this tournament with so much more information for us to take our next step.”

The opportunity to level the WXV Global Series against Canada is therefore more than a chance to restore winning momentum, it is an opportunity to see how the Red Roses bounce back when faced with defeat.

“We’ve got an opportunity to equal the series against Canada and that’ll be a good result for us because it will show our character in terms of the way we respond.

“We’ve also got a Lions series around the corner and a Six Nations that’s going to be extremely competitive. We’ve got mums to come back, and we’ve developed seven girls this trip that were our second combination in the World Cup, who are now starting for us and playing extremely well.

“We’re in a good place. It’s going to demand each individual to identify where they can find more, but that’s all part of being an athlete and wanting to be part of the best team in the world.”

Jones echoed her head coach’s assessment and added, “The bottom line is we lost by three points. I keep saying to the girls to put it in a bit of perspective.

“It was a competitive match. It’s a Test match. Three points is sometimes a narrow margin of a moment or an accumulation of moments. We didn’t exit when we wanted to well enough and they’re things that sometimes cost you the game,” she explained.

“When you’re playing the top teams, you probably have a couple of opportunities where you have to score and if you don’t take them, the other team will capitalise.”

Despite the disappointment of seeing her side’s unbeaten run end, Jones believes the experience can help England continue to sharpen their game.

“We’ve seen a huge step up,” she said. “We’re very hungry. We want to keep hunting and I’m sure everyone will keep hunting us.

“The difference between a good and a great team is consistency, so that’s something we’ll keep driving from.”

The Red Roses now have the opportunity to turn those lessons into a response on the pitch as they take on Canada at TD Place in Ottawa this Friday.