Marlie Packer: 'I will support this team in whatever way I can'

Marlie Packer has been a Red Roses stalwart since virtually the moment she made her England debut in 2008.

Ahead of Round 4 of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations, the 36-year-old is the most capped [114] member of John Mitchell’s current England Red Roses squad.

She is also just one of three players from England’s 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup success alongside Alex Matthews and Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt.

She is sixth most capped player for the Red Roses of all-time. Just one cap behind Tamara Taylor.

She is also in a try-for-try battle to the top of the England all-time try-scoring record. Current teammate Jess Breach edges ahead in joint-third with Emily Scarratt on 54 tries. Packer’s two tries against Wales last time out means she sits fifth overall with 53 efforts.

Her tenure and pedigree as a player are undeniable. And is also testament to a player that has evolved alongside the professionalisation of women’s rugby.

In the third fixture of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, Packer earned her first start of the tournament and put in a stunning 80 minute performance, crossed the whitewash twice and was awarded Player of the Match.

She was everywhere, looking for work and disrupting Wales at the ruck. Now with Sadia Kabeya’s still out with a shoulder injury picked up in Round 3 and Packer starting at openside flanker against Italy this weekend, this could be Packer’s tournament for the taking.

Packer reflected on her Ashton Gate Stadium performance and where she’d like to see herself for the rest of the Championship. Particularly the competition’s Grand Slam finale against France on Sunday 17 May.

“I’m still playing with a smile on my face,” Packer said. “I got Player of the Match which I think shows how much I’m enjoying it and how much I am putting my French foot forward to be the best openside flanker there is, not just within the Red Roses but within the world.

“Sadia Kabeya is an exceptional player and look we’ve got a great friendship, and we’re encouraging each other to bring the best out of each other. I just think, whoever he [Mitchell] gives the nod to, we support that and we empower each other to be the best players we can.

“I will support this team in whatever way I can, whether Mitch wants me to be a non-playing reserve, on the bench or a starter, I’ll play my role in do it to my best ability and make sure that every player is in the best possible place to put their best performance out for the Red Roses whoever it’s against, whatever tournament we’re in.”

In a tournament that has seen several young debutants capped in a deepening injury crisis for the world champions, Packer’s full match performance was a brilliant reminder of the strength the Red Roses have; their senior players combined with its emerging talent.

This can be seen across the pack. 74-cap hooker Lark Atkin-Davies has missed this tournament due to pregnancy. Something you think would impact stability at the lineout and scrum.

Amy Cokayne, a player with 89 caps [the second highest in the squad] has unsurprisingly slid seamlessly into a high capacity front-row role. The Red Roses have not taken a step backwards and Cokayne got a try of her own against Wales. While also bringing her brand of joué link play.

Womens Six Nations

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

England Women

3

3

0

0

15

2

France Women

3

3

0

0

15

3

Italy Women

3

1

2

0

6

4

Ireland Women

3

1

2

0

5

5

Scotland Women

3

1

2

0

4

6

Wales Women

3

0

3

0

2

Despite her successes, Packer noted the impact of each cap in the latter stages of her career.

“I think it actually adds a bit of nerves because the crowds are getting bigger, the expectations are getting more and more. And you know, when you played 113 test matches, your first 10 to 15, you’re nervous. You don’t know when you’re coming on, when you’re starting.

“The ones in between, you really enjoy and now at the latter end of my test career – like I do get a bit more nervous because it means so much – every training session, every time you’re out there with the girls – you don’t know when it’s going to be your last.

“You’re always wanting to make the most of every occasion and that’s exactly what I want to do and keep doing here.”

The potentially finality of the occasion is not lost on Packer. Change is occurring across all aspects of her life. Her fiancée and fellow Red Rose, Rosie Galligan, is another one of those players out of this tournament with pregnancy.

“We’re super excited,” Packer beamed. “We came out the back of the World Cup, we knew what our plans were going to be and the first couple of months, it was tough after the World Cup. The IVF is tough but we’re super happy where we’ve got.

“Obviously lying to the girls for the first 12 weeks that Rosie’s got a shoulder injury was hard, but it is a really tough journey and people don’t understand what you go through to get to that 12 weeks and then it’s still not guaranteed.

“But we’re both over the moon. Rosie’s got aspirations to play for the Lions, to be in the next World Cup and I’ll be supporting her in whatever style, whatever fashion she wants me to but yeah we’re really excited.”

Curiously, Packer did not explicitly define her own aspirations for the Lions. The back row will be a staggering selection headache for any Lions coach given the task.

But her performance against Wales and her appointment as vice-captain for Saturday’s Round 4 clash with Italy suggests a senior player still in fine form.

It’s hard not to understate the rapid transformation of the elite women’s game over the 11 years between Packer’s two Women’s Rugby World Cup wins.

To remain at the top of the game for that long a period, be taking the starting shirt in a Women’s Rugby World Cup-winning side and putting in those kinds of performances reflects a huge amount of work and a player still very much in their prime.

Perhaps the British & Irish Lions, with the historic significance of the inaugural tour in New Zealand, should take a leaf from John Mitchell’s playbook and look to an established senior player to provide stability to the team.

Perhaps, if Packer’s form continues, she is putting her hand up for a spot on that team too?