Women’s Rugby World Cup: John Mitchell defends England’s ‘route-one’ tactics

England coach John Mitchell said he had no qualms about relying on his team’s powerful forward pack if that is the most effective way to win Sunday’s Women’s Rugby World Cup semifinal against France.

Forward strength was at the heart of England’s 40-8 thrashing of Scotland in last week’s quarter-final in Bristol, with the Red Roses dominant at scrum and line-out.

England, unbeaten since losing the 2022 World Cup final to Mitchell’s native New Zealand, have scored 38 tries in the current tournament, with 22 coming from their forward pack.

There are concerns that England’s backline may lack sharpness for the much sterner challenge that awaits against France and, if successful, in a Twickenham final against New Zealand or second-ranked Canada.

But Mitchell, speaking after naming his semifinal team on Thursday, refused to apologise for a “route-one” approach.

“We’ve demonstrated over the last three years that we can play any particular way,” he said.

“If you look at the conditions that we were exposed to last weekend, it’d be pretty stupid of us to not use that strength and go route one.”

Mitchell, a former head coach of the All Blacks, added: “If the weather’s going to continue that way then we’ll still be building pressure in that area.

“But we do have the ability to play any particular way. Who knows which way we’ll go?”

Hannah Botterman, who has been restored to England’s front row for the semifinal in Bristol after recovering from a back spasm, stressed the importance of set-pieces.

“If we do our job in the scrum, line-out, maul, then the backs understand that that gives them the best platform to play off,” she said.

Botterman’s selection is one of four changes to the team that overpowered Scotland, with fullback Ellie Kildunne, first five-eighths Zoe Harrison and lock Abbie Ward all in the starting XV.

The return of Kildunne, the current world player of the year, who missed the quarter-final after suffering concussion, is a major boost.

“Ellie’s intuitive and can break a game. She’s not a person you hold to structure,” said Mitchell.

“That stride of hers, when she gets into a one-on-one or creates a half a metre of space, she’s very difficult to handle.”