Simon Middleton column: 'This Six Nations deserves to be celebrated and remembered'

The Red Roses were unbelievable this Guinness Women’s Six Nations. Especially in terms of the depth of the player chart that they had to go through. To still be so accomplished and dominant with several of their starting stars missing was unbelievable.

The set piece, which made the difference in the match-deciding game against France, was as reliable and solid as ever, even without Morwenna Talling or Kelsey Clifford. You have to admire the strength in depth they’ve created, but also the speed at which they brought players in and to a level they were able to compete against the best.

When the big moments came, England were up to the job, especially in the defensive moments, withstanding everything. You look at them, and you cannot help but think, ‘How are they ever going to lose at this point in time?’ I look to the backline, and they are in a better place than they were seven months ago with Lucy Packer and Zoe Harrison’s great partnership delivering great performances game after game.

Zoe was unbelievable from the first minute. She has matured into such an outstanding player, with her goalkicking being on a different level to anything we have ever seen in the women’s game. Combine that with her decision-making, tactical play, and ability to switch the pressure off England and on to the opposition, and you have the Player of the Championship. I also want to mention Amy Cokayne, who had a strong campaign showcasing top-level durability.

It is impossible not to be impressed by them, and they deserved to win the championship once again.

As for France, the set piece could have cost them the game against England. Their attacking lineout execution wasn’t up to par. They went from having key moments that they could’ve created pressure and scored points to losing possession and allowing England to get free from those critical situations.

But let me say that their physicality was fantastic. Defensively and offensively, it was just great. The tempo they played with, and their decision-making, even if it was a bit erratic at times, were also sensational.

Even if the campaign didn’t end with them celebrating their first Women’s Six Nations since 2018, I think they have improved. They need to figure out their set piece and put it on the same level as the rest of the areas, like their prowess to create danger from everywhere in the field.

France is always able to create jeopardy, and they took the Women’s Six Nations decision to the last game, which is something great for the competition.

But before we move on, let me celebrate Pauline Bourdon Sansus, who was outstanding in her game and has gone to another level. She thrives on being an even more critical player for France and doesn’t take that responsibility lightly.

Looking to the opposite end of the table, I don’t see how Wales can compete, certainly against the Women’s Six Nations’ top three sides, at least for the moment. I don’t see what they can develop in their game to close the gap on those teams. It is a difficult task to pick a few highlights of Wales’s campaign, but maybe the fact that Sean Lynn introduced a few new players, regenerating their squad a little, deserves a special mention.

At the same time, I can’t see any individual on their side who stands out and can give you any X-factor. Three or four years ago, they were a gnarly side, quite physical, tough, and difficult to beat. Even if they weren’t a massive threat, they made life difficult for the opposition.

But again, that might be part of the staff’s plan as they want to transition from that more physical approach to the game to a team that plays with more ambition. It will always be a tough transition, but you have to encourage and applaud that.

It is vital to understand that the problem is that ‘they aren’t fit enough’, as the definition of fit here isn’t that they lack conditioning but that they are missing physicality, dynamism, or pace. The set-piece lacked presence and made the opposition’s task easier, as their loss against Italy showed. The drop in second-halves was also a critical problem for them across the competition.

Italy played Wales off the park in that second half. If you compare where they were when they finished their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaigns to where they are now, Italy have clearly progressed, while Wales are stuck in the same place.

Womens Six Nations

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

England Women

5

5

0

0

28

2

France Women

5

4

1

0

21

3

Ireland Women

5

3

2

0

15

4

Italy Women

5

2

3

0

12

5

Scotland Women

5

1

4

0

5

6

Wales Women

5

0

5

0

3

The key question for Wales is, how long will this journey last? For those who might be second-guessing Sean Lynn, I am certain he is still the right person for the job. People need to understand that he is still working with an interim coaching staff, when he should have access to full-time staff working alongside him. You need the right people around those players to have any chance.

Look to Ireland’s progress and growth as a women’s rugby nation. We tend to say that people vote with their feet, and the Irish fans did that, with more than 30,000 fans showing up to support them against Scotland. It looked more than the thirty thousand to me, which tells you how loud and powerful that crowd was.

Ireland looked sensational in the Women’s Six Nations, with that first half against Scotland serving as a prime example of how they’ve gone, even if in the opening 40 minutes in England, they looked like rabbits in headlights, giving the Red Roses a bit too much respect. However, they made tangible progress and improved their performances, even if they feel frustrated that they took down France, missing a few key opportunities to score precious points in that match.

Let me say that they have in Dannah O’Brien a formidable general. She has a great kicking game, looks to have a great temperament, and manages Ireland’s game really well. And, above all, she is really young, which will be key for Ireland going forward. They have great pace, great X-factor players in Aoife Wafer, Erin King and Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, and several reasons to be optimistic about the future.

In my opinion, they are now locked in the top-three sides of the Women’s Six Nations, with England and France at the top, and their supporters acknowledge that. Italy will be looking to break into that group, and although I think they are a bit far off, they are closer to finding themselves since the World Cup. That second half over in Wales was probably the best I’ve seen them play. They were smart in how they used the short sides, how they scanned for space and how they executed three-on-ones, etc.

You can see what Fabio Roselli is trying to do with them, and they look very committed to their style of play, a team that backs itself up when it has the ball. They looked more menacing in defence, and they ended the Women’s Six Nations on a high note, which will boost their chances for the future.

Sport is a volatile thing, and when a team is underperforming, there’s always a chance that supporters won’t flock to the stands, but that isn’t Ireland’s problem at the moment, or France or England’s, to that matter.

Even Scotland had more than 30,000 supporters in the stands when they hosted England – a sign of growth and of the fan base solidifying in the women’s game.

Sadly, the attendance at the Scotland games was one of their few positives from the tournament. Although Scotland had some key players missing, the same can be said for almost every other nation, they still need to find a way to become more competitive. With the exception of the initial hit out versus Wales, Scotland didn’t really throw many punches in this tournament.

Whereas previously their pack had had a bit to say in games and they had managed to get their strike players and pace at the back into play, this Women’s Six Nations they failed to do that enough.

To me, they look a little lost as a side and also a little down on physicality and confidence. Definitely not the start their new coaching team was looking for, and plenty to work on before the WXV Global Series in September and October.

But circling back to the crowd attendances, it certainly was one of the main highlights of this year’s Six Nations, and we need to keep mentioning this in the future.

Yes, England winning again might look problematic to a few, but if we sum up the entire competition by who won the title, we are doing a poor job of promoting what really happened.

The 2026 Women’s Six Nations was an eight out of 10 for me. A lot of people were expecting England to stumble, and that raised the competition’s jeopardy. France winning their games and looking fantastic in the first four rounds fed into that narrative, which is what we are always looking for.

It had wonderful tries, like France’s first against England, players challenging the right to be regarded as the game’s best, and teams that have made remarkable progress.

This Women’s Six Nations deserves to be celebrated and, undoubtedly, deserves to be remembered.