Wikipedia

England women's national rugby union team

For the men's team, see England national rugby union team.

The England women's national rugby union team, commonly known as the Red Roses, represents England in women's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Women's Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the championship on a total of 21 out of 30 occasions – winning the Grand Slam 19 times and the Triple Crown 25 times – making them the most successful side in the tournament's history. They won the Women's Rugby World Cup in 1994 and 2014, and have been runners-up on six other occasions. Their current permanent head coach, as of October 2023, is John Mitchell.[4]

England
Shirt badge/Association crest
NicknameRed Roses
EmblemRed Rose
UnionRugby Football Union
Head coachJohn Mitchell[1]
CaptainZoe Aldcroft[2]
Most capsSarah Hunter (141)[3]
Top scorerEmily Scarratt (749)
Top try scorerSue Day (61)
Home stadiumTwickenham Stadium and others[a]
First colours
Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current1 (as of 25 November 2024)
Highest1 (2012–2013, 2014–2015, 2017, 2020–)
Lowest4 (2015)
First international
 Wales 4–22 England 
(Pontypool, Wales; 5 April 1987)
Biggest win
 England 101–0 South Africa 
(East Molesey, England; 14 May 2005)
Biggest defeat
 New Zealand 67–0 England 
(Burnham, New Zealand; 13 August 1997)
World Cup
Appearances9 (First in 1991)
Best resultChampions (1994, 2014)

History

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England at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup.

Until 2009, the badge and logo of England women's national teams was significantly different from that worn by men's teams. However, in 2009 in anticipation of the merger between the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football Union for Women England teams adopted the men's rose.[citation needed]

England have taken part in every Women's Rugby World Cup competition, winning in 1994 and 2014 and finishing as runner-up on six other occasions.

The 1995/1996 season saw the introduction of a Home Nations Championship between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, which England won in its inaugural year. England won the Championship every year, except for the 1997/98 season when it was won by Scotland.

France joined the competition in the 1998/99 season, making it the Five Nations Championship, with England achieving the Grand Slam in three successive seasons.

In the 2001/02 season, Ireland re-joined the fold in preparation for the World Cup and the competition expanded to be known as the Six Nations. Since then, England have finished lower than runner-up on only 2 occasions, in 2013 and 2015 respectively, and have won the title on 16 separate occasions. This includes 7 consecutive tournament triumphs between 2006 and 2012, and between 2019-2025 and the Grand Slam on 14 more occasions, including 3 times in a row between 2006-2008 and 2010–2012, and 4 in a row from 2022 to 2025.

Team records

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Women's
World Rugby Rankings
Top 20 rankings as of 5 May 2025[5]
Rank Change* Team Points
1     England 97.56
2     Canada 89.31
3     New Zealand 88.64
4     France 85.92
5     Ireland 78.78
6     Australia 78.10
7     Scotland 76.56
8     Italy 75.23
9     United States 72.20
10     Wales 70.81
11     Japan 68.41
12     South Africa 68.04
13     Spain 63.73
14     Samoa 60.56
15     Netherlands 60.42
16     Fiji 59.14
17     Hong Kong 56.20
18     Kazakhstan 55.23
19     Russia 55.10
20     Sweden 49.31
*Change from the previous week


Overall

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Further information: List of England women's national rugby union team matches
Full internationals only

Correct as of 12 October 2024

Opponent First game Played Won Drawn Lost Win %
  Australia 1998 7 7 0 0 100%
  Canada 1993 37 33 1 3 89.19%
  Fiji 2022 1 1 0 0 100%
  France 1991 56 43 0 13 76.79%
  Germany 1997 1 1 0 0 100%
  Ireland 1996 32 30 0 2 93.75%
  Italy 1991 25 25 0 0 100%
  Kazakhstan 2000 3 3 0 0 100%
  Netherlands 1990 4 4 0 0 100%
  New Zealand 1997 33 13 1 19 39.39%
  Russia 1994 2 2 0 0 100%
  Samoa 2005 2 2 0 0 100%
  Scotland 1994 33 31 0 2 93.94%
  South Africa 2005 6 6 0 0 100%
  Spain 1991 16 14 1 1 87.50%
  Sweden 1988 3 3 0 0 100%
  United States 1991 21 20 0 1 95.24%
  Wales 1987 41 39 0 2 95.12%
Total 1987 323 277 3 43 85.76%

World Cup

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Main article: England women at the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup record
Year Round Pld W D L PF PA Squad Head coach
  1991 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 56 28 Squad S. Dowling
  1994 Champions 5 5 0 0 172 39 Squad S. Dowling
  1998 Third place 5 4 0 1 219 78 Squad E. Field
  2002 Runners-up 4 3 0 1 138 37 Squad G. Richards
  2006 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 146 47 Squad
  2010 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 171 23 Squad G. Street
  2014 Champions 5 4 1 0 184 37 Squad G. Street
  2017 Runners-up 5 4 0 1 211 88 Squad S. Middleton
  2021 Runners-up 6 5 0 1 270 84 Squad
  2025 Qualified J. Mitchell
  2029 To be determined
  2033
Total Champions† 44 36 1 7 1487 451 —
  Champion   Runner-up   Third place   Fourth place
* Tied placing † Best placing Home venue

Six Nations

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  England   France   Ireland   Italy   Scotland   Spain   Wales
Tournaments 29 26 27 18 29 7 29
Outright Wins 20 6 2 0 1 0 0
Grand Slams 18 5 1 0 1 0 0
Triple Crowns 24 — 2 — 1 — 1
Wooden Spoons 0 0 6 3 9 2 8

Players

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Current squad

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On 17 March 2025, head coach John Mitchell announced England's 37-player squad for the 2025 Women's Six Nations Championship.[6]

On 7 April 2025, Mackenzie Carson was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury; she was replaced by Simi Pam, while Ella Wyrwas was also added to the squad.[7]

Note: The age and number of caps listed for each player is as of 22 March 2025, the first day of the tournament.

Player Position Date of birth (age) Caps Club/province
Lark Atkin-Davies Hooker (1995-03-03)3 March 1995 (aged 30) 62   Bristol Bears
May Campbell Hooker (1996-05-16)16 May 1996 (aged 28) 1   Saracens
Amy Cokayne Hooker (1996-07-11)11 July 1996 (aged 27) 79   Leicester Tigers
Hannah Botterman Prop (1999-06-08)8 June 1999 (aged 25) 51   Bristol Bears
Sarah Bern Prop (1997-07-10)10 July 1997 (aged 27) 66   Bristol Bears
Kelsey Clifford Prop (2001-12-11)11 December 2001 (aged 23) 9   Saracens
Maud Muir Prop (2001-07-12)12 July 2001 (aged 23) 35   Gloucester–Hartpury
Simi Pam Prop (1995-01-08)8 January 1995 (aged 30) 0   Bristol Bears
Zoe Aldcroft (c) Lock (1996-11-19)19 November 1996 (aged 26) 58   Gloucester–Hartpury
Charlotte Fray Lock (2000-05-26)26 May 2000 (aged 23) 0   Leicester Tigers
Rosie Galligan Lock (1998-04-30)30 April 1998 (aged 26) 19   Saracens
Lilli Ives Campion Lock (2003-10-10)10 October 2003 (aged 21) 1   Loughborough Lightning
Morwenna Talling Lock (2002-09-29)29 September 2002 (aged 21) 18   Sale Sharks
Abbie Ward Lock (1993-03-27)27 March 1993 (aged 31) 69   Bristol Bears
Sarah Beckett Back row (1999-02-14)14 February 1999 (aged 26) 35   Gloucester–Hartpury
Georgia Brock Back row (2001-04-19)19 April 2001 (aged 23) 2   Gloucester–Hartpury
Abi Burton Back row (2000-03-09)9 March 2000 (aged 25) 0   Trailfinders
Maddie Feaunati Back row (2002-05-18)18 May 2002 (aged 22) 10   Exeter Chiefs
Sadia Kabeya Back row (2002-02-22)22 February 2002 (aged 23) 18   Loughborough Lightning
Alex Matthews Back row (1993-08-03)3 August 1993 (aged 31) 72   Gloucester–Hartpury
Marlie Packer (vc) Back row (1989-10-02)2 October 1989 (aged 35) 108   Saracens
Natasha Hunt Scrum-half (1989-03-21)21 March 1989 (aged 36) 76   Gloucester–Hartpury
Lucy Packer Scrum-half (2000-02-02)2 February 2000 (aged 25) 26   Harlequins
Flo Robinson Scrum-half (2001-10-04)4 October 2001 (aged 23) 0   Exeter Chiefs
Ella Wyrwas Scrum-half (1999-03-07)7 March 1999 (aged 26) 7   Saracens
Holly Aitchison Fly-half (1997-09-13)13 September 1997 (aged 27) 35   Bristol Bears
Zoe Harrison Fly-half (1998-04-14)14 April 1998 (aged 26) 54   Saracens
Helena Rowland Fly-half (1999-09-19)19 September 1999 (aged 25) 34   Loughborough Lightning
Tatyana Heard Centre (1995-01-14)14 January 1995 (aged 30) 26   Gloucester–Hartpury
Megan Jones (vc) Centre (1996-10-28)28 October 1996 (aged 28) 21   Leicester Tigers
Emily Scarratt Centre (1990-02-08)8 February 1990 (aged 35) 116   Loughborough Lightning
Jade Shekells Centre (1996-09-28)28 September 1996 (aged 28) 0   Gloucester–Hartpury
Jess Breach Wing (1997-11-04)4 November 1997 (aged 27) 43   Saracens
Abigail Dow Wing (1997-09-29)29 September 1997 (aged 27) 48   Trailfinders
Claudia MacDonald Wing (1996-01-04)4 January 1996 (aged 29) 48   Exeter Chiefs
Mia Venner Wing (2002-05-03)3 May 2002 (aged 22) 1   Gloucester–Hartpury
Ellie Kildunne Fullback (1999-09-08)8 September 1999 (aged 25) 48   Harlequins
Emma Sing Fullback (2001-03-11)11 March 2001 (aged 24) 6   Gloucester–Hartpury

Contracted players

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On 3 June 2024, the RFU confirmed it had awarded full-time central contracts to 32 England senior players for the 2024–25 season, with an additional 8 players receiving transition contracts.[8]

Red Roses Contracted Players (2024–25)

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Full-backs

Transition players

List of all players

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Main article: List of England women's national rugby union players

Individual records

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World Rugby Awards

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The following England players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:[9][10][11][12][13][14]

World Rugby Women's 15s Dream Team of the Year
Year Forwards Backs Total
No. Players No. Players
2021 3. Sarah Bern 11. Abby Dow 5
5. Abbie Ward
6. Zoe Aldcroft
8. Poppy Cleall
2022 3. Sarah Bern (2) 13. Emily Scarratt 6
4. Abbie Ward (2)
6. Alex Matthews 15. Abby Dow (2)
7. Marlie Packer
2023 2. Lark Atkin-Davies 11. Abby Dow (3) 7
3. Sarah Bern (3)
4. Zoe Aldcroft (2) 15. Ellie Kildunne
6. Alex Matthews (2)
7. Marlie Packer (2)
2024 3. Maud Muir 10. Holly Aitchison 6
4. Zoe Aldcroft (3) 14. Abby Dow (4)
8. Alex Matthews (3) 15. Ellie Kildunne (2)
World Rugby Women's 15s Try of the Year
Year Date Nominee Match Tournament Winner
2021 30 April Abby Dow vs. France Exhibition Match —
2022 5 November Abby Dow (2) vs. Canada Rugby World Cup Abby Dow
2023 29 April Zoe Aldcroft vs. France Six Nations —

Hall of famers

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England have five former players who have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame:

Players Year inducted Refs
Carol Isherwood 2014 [16]
Gill Burns 2014 [17]
Maggie Alphonsi 2016 [18]
Sue Dorrington 2022 [19]
Mary Forsyth 2022 [20]

Six Nations Awards

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The following England players have been recognised in the Women's Six Nations Awards since 2020:[21][22][23][24][25][26]

Rugby Players' Association Player of the Year

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The following players have been voted as the RPA England Player of the Year since 2013:[29]

Statistical leaders

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As of 27 April 2024[42]

Players active at international level as of April 2024 are listed in bold italics.

Coaches

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Current coaching staff

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The following table outlines the current England senior coaching team, as of the 2025 Women's Six Nations.[43][44]

Name Role
  John Mitchell Head Coach
  Louis Deacon Forwards Coach
  Lou Meadows Attack / Backs Coach
  Sarah Hunter Defence / Transition Coach
  Nathan Catt Defence Coach (interim)
  Charlie Hayter Head of Performance

Notable former coaches

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Honours

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Winners (2): 1994, 2014[47]
Runners-up (6): 1991, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2017, 2021
Winners (2): 2023, 2024
Winners (21): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Grand Slam (19): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Triple Crown (25): 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Winners (5): 1997, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012
Runners-up (1): 2004

Notes

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  1. ^ The England women's team uses a variety of venues around England, to promote women's rugby to a wider audience. Twickenham is typically used for games of major importance.

References

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  1. ^ "John Mitchell profile page - England Rugby". England Rugby. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  2. ^ Meagher, Gerard (9 January 2025). "'Phenomenal' Zoe Aldcroft named England women's rugby union captain". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  3. ^ Rendell, Sarah (8 March 2024). "Top ten Red Roses appearance holders – most-capped England women's rugby players". Rugby World. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  4. ^ Orchard, Sara (4 May 2023). "England: John Mitchell appointed women's head coach after Simon Middleton departure". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Women's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  6. ^ "Red Roses squad for Six Nations announced | Rugby Football Union". England Rugby. 17 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  7. ^ "Women's Six Nations: England's Mackenzie Carson ruled out with ankle injury". BBC Sport. 7 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  8. ^ "Red Roses contracts announced for 2024/25". England Rugby. 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Awards Roll of Honour - World Rugby". World Rugby. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  10. ^ Kitson, Robert (13 November 2016). "Sarah Hunter crowned women's player of the year by World Rugby". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  11. ^ "England's Emily Scarratt crowned women's world player of the year". The Guardian. 3 November 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Aldcroft crowned World Rugby's Women's Player of the Year". Six Nations Championship. 10 December 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  13. ^ "Marlie Packer: England captain wins World Rugby Women's Player of Year award for 2023". BBC Sport. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  14. ^ "Ellie Kildunne named World Rugby Player of the Year". 4 The Love Of Sport. 24 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Eight Red Roses named in World Rugby team of the decade". England Rugby. 7 December 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Carol Isherwood - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". World Rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Gillian Burns - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". World Rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Margaret Alphonsi - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". World Rugby. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Sue Dorrington - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". World Rugby. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Mary Forsyth - World Rugby - Hall of Fame". World Rugby. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship". Six Nations Championship. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  22. ^ "Poppy Cleall crowned 2021 Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship". Six Nations Championship. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  23. ^ "Kildunne wins Guinness Player of the Championship". Six Nations Championship. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  24. ^ "2022 TikTok Women's Six Nations Team of the Championship revealed". Six Nations Championship. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Revealed: The Fans' 2024 Team of the Championship". Six Nations Championship. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  26. ^ "The 2025 Guinness Women's Six Nations Team of the Championship". Six Nations Championship. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  27. ^ "Try of the Championship - Vote Now". Six Nation Championship. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Vote for your 2025 Try of the Championship!". Six Nations Championship. 30 April 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
  29. ^ "The RPA Awards – Previous Awards". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  30. ^ "2013 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  31. ^ "2014 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  32. ^ "2015 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  33. ^ "2016 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  34. ^ "2017 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  35. ^ "2018 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  36. ^ "2019 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  37. ^ "2020 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  38. ^ a b "2021 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  39. ^ a b "2022 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  40. ^ a b c "2023 – The RPA". The Rugby Players' Association. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  41. ^ a b "The RPA Awards: 2024 Winners". The Rugby Players' Association. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  42. ^ "Player Records". England Rugby. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  43. ^ "John Mitchell appointed Red Roses Head Coach". England Rugby. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
  44. ^ "Second Red Roses training squad of 2025 announced". England Rugby. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
  45. ^ "England Women coach Gary Street steps down five months after winning World Cup". www.skysports.com/rugby-union. Sky Sports. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  46. ^ "Simon Middleton: Reflecting on the England coach's legacy". www.bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 7 February 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  47. ^ Riach, James (17 August 2014). "England 21-9 Canada – Women's rugby World Cup match report". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
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