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The Meg Jones era is here and it will be bold

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been processed using digital filters) Megan Jones of England reacts following victory during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Final match between Canada and England at Twickenham Stadium on September 27, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

The Red Roses found the perfect way to announce that Meg Jones had taken the reins as England captain ahead of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

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In a video posted on social media she walked up a staircase at Allianz Stadium and took a seat. Even in an empty 82,000 capacity venue the 29-year-old managed to fill the entire space donning board-short cargos, Birkenstocks, an England Rugby hoodie and a red cowboy hat with a feather brim. She tips her hat to the camera and grins. Those 15 seconds can only leave you with the overriding thought of ‘alright, here we go’.

For those not yet acquainted with the aura of Meg Jones, she is the 5’4”, 29-year-old outside centre whose efforts in 2025 got her a World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year nomination. Her speed, step and playmaking ability drives the backline. She is also a captivating and clinical finisher whose talents were honed on the HSBC SVNS Series with England and Great Britain. She offers an opportunistic attacking zip at 13 alongside Tatyana Heard’s less audacious but equally destructive physical gain-line breaking abilities at 12. Albeit we shall not see the two combine at this year’s Championships.

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The choice of Jones as captain coupled with the style of the announcement. There was distinct lack of the classically stiff RFU formality. The presentation of Jones herself is a clear and distinct choice. A welcome and exciting one.

The Red Roses know exactly how to cultivate a strong following, and the announcement speaks perfectly to this. It declared the LAST Women’s Rugby World Cup cycle, underpinned by quiet responsibility has passed and a new era of flair, fun and revelry is upon us. Personality does not phase the women’s game, it embraces it.

Jones’ time at the helm for 2026 was confirmed a day after Zoe Stratford announced her pregnancy. Stratford is one of three in John Mitchell’s Women’s Rugby World Cup-winning England squad to be “out” of this tournament for this reason alongside Lark Atkin-Davies and Abbie Ward. Jones’ appointment is timed out of necessity.

Direct comparison of Zoe Stratford and Meg Jones evokes two different styles. Zoe Stratford, a 6’0” lock, has been a relentless engine in the England pack for close to 10 years since debuting in 2016, the second most capped lock from the Women’s Rugby World Cup squad [69] behind Ward [76].

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Lock forwards often represent the less glamorous side of rugby. The hard jobs. Stratford has averaged 70 minutes a game and a 93 per cent tackle success rate – which increased to 95 per cent in the Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign [68/71]. She is clinical and understated but unwaveringly confident.

Perfect to lead a team who, going into the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, held the expectation to get the job done on home turf. A team that has not lost a game since 2022 and held the heartbreaking memory of their 33-31 2021 Rugby World Cup final loss to the Black Ferns.

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In contrast Jones is an impact player that strikes in decisive moments. Fans and players alike sit on the edge of their seats as she gets on the ball.

‘What will she conjure up from this?’ we all wonder.

Across her international career to date the 29-year-old has 33 caps, 13 tries and 11 try assists for England. She was also vice-captain to Stratford during the Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign. Her partnership with John Mitchell runs deep. Not the most entrenched member of the England backline, nor the biggest superstar. Her promotion from understudy to captain offers an alternative attitude to leadership in the group.

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She is also openly queer and presents as such – a detail significance that should not be overlooked – and has released her own personal clothing line, ‘Magic Meg’ with the ‘Mischief Collection’. She literally is the brand. She has spoken candidly about the struggles and tragedy around her family after both her parents died in 2024. Her style is bold and vulnerable, yet cheeky and fun. Less reserved than the determined Stratford.

What is so exciting is seeing how her captaincy will permeate into the Red Roses side. With only seven potential debutants included and 25 Women’s Rugby World Cup returnees. It is not a huge changing of the guard. It cements her in the starting outside centre jersey for the foreseeable.

So, how will John Mitchell continue to shape structure around her style of play? What might her leadership draw out in players across the squad? We might certainly expect she will conduct the Red Roses with the same passion she exudes whenever she plays. We all eagerly await the in-game conversations heard over the referee’s mic.

 

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It is also clear that there is a strategy to galvanise the Red Roses’ audience through social media. By captivating fans through showcasing its players as role models and peers, it builds a parasocial relationship. Jones has actively cultivated this off the pitch already, and her captaincy intertwines the merging of female athletes into cultural figures further.

She has been at the forefront of this in women’s rugby and that is now combined with her on-field duties. Especially now with the raised profile of team and the tournament, opportunities to display a show-stopping identity will be everywhere.

As the Red Roses have catapulted into the English sporting psyche, the captaincy of Jones represents an era of players that are now household names, that express themselves on and off the pitch, leading with authenticity.

This is the holistic attitude at the core of the Red Roses success, and the appointment of Jones to lead them is only another step in that direction. She has every right to lead the Red Roses out with pride in front of a tournament crowd at Allianz Stadium against Ireland on Saturday 11 April.

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NoLongerARuck 3 hours ago
Age is no barrier, world-leading Thomas du Toit and the Bok props are kings

In the 2019 world cup an idea that changed the entire front row ecosystem in South Africa took hold and it was pushed by Rassie himself. That was to not merely secure your scrum but to scrum for penalties off every scrum no matter where on the field. This idea led to a singular focus for props and that was scrumming. South Africa puts more focus on scrumming then any other nation in the world. Hours spent on the training ground and cumulative experience gained since 2019 has led them to where they are today, that is a scrum that can even dominate the next best scrum in world rugby. South African props are required to make their fair share of dominant tackles, ruck involvements, mauls and bludgeoning carries but their primary focus remains scrumming. Springbok props are huge men but they are not inherently bigger than those from other nations. Taniela Tupou, Antonio, Baille, Genge Tamaiti Williams, Lomax, Furlong, Carre and several others are just as powerful or big as any Bok prop yet they have all been on the receiving end of a big Bok scrum in the last 2 years. Experience is seen as the most valuable commodity at scrum time in SA. Its why Ollie Kebble was brought back to the Stormers and why Brock Harris and Ali Vermaak played on for them recently. Nyakane was involved last year for the Sharks and Koch is still there for their experience. Its also the reason why Malherbe has not been discarded and why Mtawarira and Du Randt were part of monster scrums that were integral to world cup success. A comment that stuck with me was that Neethling Fouche was described as a “young” up and coming prop at the age of 29 when SA pundits were discussing his future 4 years back. Hes now 33 and could probably play in many international teams but is maybe 5th choice in his position at the Boks. Thomas Du Toit was part of the set up for 2019 and 2023. He has attended alignment camps for years and yet has only broke into the starting 15 in the last 2 years. His experience overseas and that of another Journeyman in Wilco Louw has only made them better and more well-rounded players. It truly is experience, a dogged commitment to scrumming and a bold idea that has shaped the Boks scrum into the most formidable weapon in world rugby and that looks set to continue at least in the short term.

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