Rosie Galligan hailed head coach John Mitchell for breathing new life into the Red Roses ahead of their home World Cup campaign next year.
England’s women’s team were left reeling from an agonising defeat in the 2021 Rugby World Cup final but have responded with new attacking verve under Kiwi coach Mitchell.
It led to yet another Six Nations title – their sixth in a row – but Galligan believes they have stepped up another level as they target World Cup victory at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham in 12 months’ time.
“We came off the back of a loss at the World Cup, nobody really wanted that, but since then we have had Mitch come in and we have had a regrowth as a Red Roses side,” said Galligan.
“You look at a rose and how it has to die to come back alive again and that’s something we’ve started doing at the minute.
“Mitch has created an environment where everyone feels that they can really showcase their potential and it’s really exciting.
He is such an honest guy and there are times where you have to have that hard conversation which are never easy but having the ability to have them and him giving you something to work on, there is so much more support, funding and backing behind the women’s programme now, we are going into campaigns where we are the best professionalised team.
“We have got some really good things in the pipeline, the women’s game is going in the right direction. There are so many people who want to get behind it and that’s so exciting heading into 2025.”
England will begin their preparations with a busy autumn schedule that includes two warm-up fixtures on home soil before embarking on the defence of their WXV title in Canada in October.
The inaugural WXV title was sealed last year with victory over the Black Ferns in New Zealand, a small portion of revenge for defeat in the World Cup final, and the sides are set to meet for the first time since then at Allianz Stadium on 14 September.
It is the second of England’s two warm-up matches, following France’s visit to Kingsholm on 7 September, and Galligan is expecting an enthralling encounter between two of the world’s best sides.
She added: “In the women’s game, this is the game to watch. It is the best going head-to-head.
“Even if you are not interested in the actual rugby on the pitch, the atmosphere at women’s games is phenomenal.
“For the 2023 Six Nations, I was unfortunately injured but being involved and immersed in the crowd with everyone’s friends and family and seeing all of the fans’ reactions, it is something so special and I will never forget.
“We love playing against quality teams. The introduction of WXV and the tier system mean we get that every year. Our two warm-up games are against two of the best teams in the world and although fans are seeing it as warm-up games, that for us isn’t really a warm-up.
“We know that in pre-season we need to be ready to go on 7 September. It’s not about using them as a warm-up game because we don’t want to go out against those teams and not come away with a result.
“There is learning to do before going to a tournament but we know what this is to us, our pride and wanting to put our best foot forward in a white shirt.”
Allianz recently pledged a long-term commitment to rugby through a multi-year partnership with the Rugby Football Union. See the Red Roses take on the Black Ferns at the newly named Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on the 14 September. Head to ////EnglandRugby.com/Tickets to secure your tickets!
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