England opens Women’s Six Nations defense with 25 World Cup winners and a new captain
LONDON (AP) — Before the 1988 NBA three-point shooting contest, defending champion Larry Bird looked around at his competition and asked, “Which one of you guys is playing for second?”
In the same way, England rules Women’s Six Nations rugby. While England’s players would never be so cocky as to say what Bird said they must be tempted sometimes.
England’s achievements are awe-inspiring: Won 21 of the 30 championships including the last seven titles. England is on a world record winning run of 33 straight tests, capped by sweeping up the greatest Women’s Rugby World Cup last September in front of a record sell-out crowd of 82,000 at Twickenham.
John Mitchell, unbeaten in two years as coach, signed on to the next World Cup in 2029 in Australia. Turnover was light after the recent World Cup: Captain Zoe Aldcroft, Abbie Ward, Lark Atkin-Davies and Rosie Galligan are pregnant, Tatyana Heard is out with a foot injury, and Emily Scarratt and Abby Dow retired. Scarratt, the only England player to compete in five World Cups, has moved into Mitchell’s coaching staff.
Mitchell declared a clean slate for squad selection but his 32-woman squad includes 25 World Cup winners. The only new cap for their Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday is 19-year-old forward Haineala Lutui, the daughter of former Tonga men’s captain Aleki Lutui.
The captaincy was given to center Megan Jones, feisty, selfless and with nothing to prove. Jones debuted at 18 against New Zealand in 2015, played in three World Cups, and was the only England woman shortlisted for world’s best player of 2025.
On England’s unshakeable ability to succeed, Jones said: “We’re just highly competitive humans who want to keep winning.”
The eternal bridesmaid to England is France, the runner-up every year since 2020 that suffers from 10-20 minute lapses.
France was the least experienced of the World Cup semifinalists and bowed out to England 35-17. The great Gaëlle Mignot, the rare female head coach, was replaced by François Ratier, who took Canada to the 2014 World Cup final and recently guided Stade Bordelais to back-to-back titles in the French championship.
Ratier will debut six against Italy in Grenoble on Saturday. France has the advantage of three home matches, culminating in a hoped-for, last-round title decider against England in Bordeaux on May 17.
Italy, captained again by No. 8 Elisa Giordano, has picked nine France-based players. Coach Fabio Roselli has focused on defense to contain the French backs. The women hope to beat France for the first time on French soil, inspired by their men’s first win over England last month.
Dynamo flanker Erin King leads Ireland after missing the World Cup due to a knee injury. King anchors the back row with Aoife Wafer, last year’s Six Nations MVP.
Hooker Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald will mark her 50th Irish cap by also facing her wife for the first time, England wing Claudia Moloney-MacDonald. Ticket sales for the Twickenham match have passed 75,000, ensuring a new Six Nations attendance record.
Wales also hopes to beat its crowd record of 21,186 set against England last year when it hosts Scotland at Principality Stadium on Saturday.
Wales was whitewashed in 2025 for the first time but coach Sean Lynn has had time to bed in, introduced new coaches and nine new caps, and chosen one captain, flanker Kate Williams, one of 12 players from unbeaten Gloucester Hartpury in the English championship.
Scotland beat Wales 38-8 en route to the World Cup quarterfinals but from that win stars Fran McGhie (three tries), Evie Gallagher, Sarah Bonar and Lisa Thomson are injured and three others have retired. Teenage flanker Emily Coubrough will debut under new coach Sione Fukofuka, who led the United States at the World Cup.
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