John Mitchell hails 'authentic' Meg Jones after impressive captaincy debut

The images of John Mitchell and Meg Jones sat together after the Red Roses’ Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 triumph were instantly iconic.

A coach, talking to his player on the stage on which England had liftedthe Women’s Rugby World Cup trophy on just minutes before, covered in shimmering golden ribbons.

Just a few months later, in Zoe Stratford’s absence, Jones had been named captain of her country ahead of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

By the end of the Test year, the Red Roses have won an eighth consecutive Women’s Six Nations title and seen their four-year unbeaten run come to an end.

In and amongst that, Jones was nominated for World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year and named in the World Rugby Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year 2026.

The 30-year-old has also been named as the top player on the RugbyPass Top 50.

Having left her home city of Cardiff at 16 to pursue rugby in England, Jones has become one of the most popular players in English rugby and consistently impresses her head coach.

“She’s just a very authentic person,” Mitchell told RugbyPass.

“She believes in her own ability, and her views have obviously been shaped by being around good people, her family, and the sustained success she’s demonstrated as a professional.

“She’s clearly left home and given things a crack. All of those things have probably placed Meg in a really good position.

“She’s also an energy giver in the way she communicates. She is very clear and leads through her actions.”

Across England’s 11 Test matches that England played in 2026, Jones started and finished all of them. She played all 880 minutes of England’s international campaign.

That is before you even consider her efforts with Premiership Women’s Rugby club Trailfinders Women, who finished the season as runners-up.

The year did not finish entirely as England would have hoped. Back-to-back defeats to Canada in WXV Global Series exposed vulnerabilities in a side that had spent years setting the standard in women’s rugby.

But it was a definitive sign that the rest of the world has started to make ground on Mitchell’s all-conquering side. Nevertheless, WXV Global Series provided an early indication of the challenges that await England as they begin their preparations for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029.

It will be six months until the Red Roses next play a fixture. England are likely to be a much different outfit by then, particularly given their end-of-year wobble. Even so, Mitchell knows that his captain has plenty to be proud of.

“The great thing is that she’s led a successful Six Nations campaign,” Mitchell said.

“Knowing how honest she is, I’d say she’s probably a little disappointed with some of the inconsistency in her performances during this [WXV Global] Series. That’s the kind of person she is. She’ll grow from that.

“She’s someone who will take your team forward. Although she’s individually driven, she always thinks about the team first and foremost, and plays accordingly.”

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