Marlie Packer enjoying new regime as she closes on Test century
Marlie Packer has plenty of reason to be excited as she stands on the start line of another Women’s Six Nations campaign.
It is almost impossible to think of a superlative that does the England captain’s 2023 justice. In her first year as permanent Red Roses skipper, Packer led the team to a Six Nations Grand Slam, the inaugural WXV 1 title and was crowned World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year.
Under Packer’s leadership England won 10 Test matches out of 10 last year and 2024 has the potential to be just as special for the decorated Saracens flanker.
Barring injury, and Packer is confident she has overcome the calf issue suffered in club action recently, she will become only the seventh Englishwoman to become a Test centurion when she leads the Red Roses out in Parma on 24 March.
“I’m super excited, but I’m more excited about kicking off the tournament. As you saw with the Red Roses at WXV last year, we’ve changed the way we’re playing. We’re now evolving that. We’ve enjoyed the first half of the PWR season and we can’t wait to kick things off,” Packer said.
“With regards to my 100th cap, I just want to get out there and play. We’ve got the likes of Abbie Ward, Emily Scarratt, Zoe Harrison coming back. We haven’t seen that calibre of players since the World Cup final.
“I’m more excited to see them come back than to get my 100th cap this coming month.”
Speaking to Packer at the Women’s Six Nations launch in London this week, it is clear how much she is enjoying working with new England head coach, John Mitchell.
Although Mitchell described himself as England’s “invisible man” last year on Wednesday, his influence on the Red Roses was clear in their triumphant WXV 1 campaign in New Zealand and he has made no secret of his desire to evolve the team’s style of play.
For some people, especially those entering their mid-30s who have enjoyed incredible success playing a certain way, change might not seem overly enticing. But Packer has been energised by the new approach.
“I get on with Mitch [Mitchell] really well,” she said. “Sometimes I really get him and I feel like we’re on the same wavelength and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I know’. And then the next day we have a conversation and I’m like, ‘Oh, I need to work on that there’.
“He’s great. He poses questions, he makes you see the game differently to what I’ve seen before, he asks why we’re doing this and that and what other options we can have.
“He’s a really nice guy and he’s been really refreshing. Going into WXV, the direction in how we wanted to play was still coming from Mitch, even though Deacs [Louis Deacon] was still in on everything. He’s put the full stop at the end of things.
“Sometimes we’d ask questions to coaches, and it would be quite open, but he has the last word, like ‘This is how I want things done, guys’.”
Packer added: “Different coaches set different challenges in what they want from you.
“I might not be the quickest in the bunch but put me in a 50-50 situation and I’m going to win the ball. That’s my mindset – it’s nobody else’s mindset. You have to have the mindset that you always want to win or do better.”
It is that drive that shut down any suggestion that Packer might sit out England’s trip to Parma next weekend to celebrate her 100th appearance closer to home, in Bristol.
More than 15,000 tickets have already been sold for the match against Wales at Ashton Gate on 30 March and Packer revealed on Wednesday that Mitchell had checked in to see what she wanted to do. His captain’s competitive spirit held firm, however.
“The conversation did happen with Mitch, which was quite nice,” Packer explained. “I didn’t think there’d be an open conversation about it.
“For me it’s about the rose, the shirt and leaving it in a better place because it might be the last time you wear it.
“It’s a privilege to be selected for a Test. So, for him to ask me, ‘What are you thinking? How are you feeling?’ I said, ‘No, I want to start the Six Nations as Red Roses captain and get my 100th cap then and I want to finish the Six Nations as Red Roses captain’.
“I won’t let up my shirt for anyone else.”
Packer’s stance is also an indication of just how competitive the Red Roses squad is as they attempt to win a sixth successive Six Nations championship.
Mitchell has described the team’s potential as “huge” and with competition from the likes of Sadia Kabeya, Zoe Aldcroft, Alex Matthews and the uncapped Maddie Feaunati, Packer knows she cannot rest on her laurels.
“I just need to keep doing me. I don’t need to be anyone else,” she said. “I’ve never been anyone else in my career, I just need to keep driving myself and pushing myself.
“They’re all incredible players who bring different attributes to the game. But I know I bring something different and I can call on those players – or myself – to put in a performance.
“I say this now, not one player will play probably every 80 minutes of this Six Nations, because of the physicality in the women’s game there now is and the tempo we want to play at.
“We’re building to something bigger – it is about the Six Nations and winning it – but we’re also building to the 2025 World Cup. We have new names in this squad that are really exciting – they’re going to get their opportunity, while others won’t.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Fiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy 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 …
33 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!😭😭😭 !!!
33 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
33 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 comments