England women’s head coach John Mitchell has described his new side as “very good”, and said they have the potential to be “phenomenal”.
Mitchell was appointed in May but only officially took charge after working with Japan at the men’s World Cup.
England have won the Women’s Six Nations five times in succession but have not won the World Cup since 2014.
“You’ve been very good, set standards – great standards – in the Six Nations,” said the New Zealander.
“But how do you get done what you haven’t in 10 years?”
Speaking for the first time since his appointment was confirmed, Mitchell said he approached the Rugby Football Union (RFU) about the role.
The 59-year-old, who replaced Simon Middleton, told the BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly podcast he had a “desire to lead a programme again”.
Mitchell steered New Zealand’s men to the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup. Prior to that he coached England men’s forwards under Sir Clive Woodward, and more recently was defence coach under Eddie Jones.
His CV – which only features men’s sides – also includes spells with Sale Sharks, Wasps and the USA.
He met up with his players for the first time in New Zealand in October after the end of his contract as defence coach of Japan’s men.
England have dominated the Women’s Six Nations in recent years, but have lost the past two World Cup finals to New Zealand.
The most recent – in 2021 – came after Lydia Thompson was sent off in the first half.
“This team is very good, but it can become phenomenal,” he said.
“I needed a job to drive me and get excited. I like winning. This team has an amazing legacy of winning. How can I sustain the gap because all the other programmes are going to get better? That’s what really gets me up in the morning.”
Reflecting on the last World Cup final, Mitchell said his team needed to “embrace pressure and unfairness”, adding: “The probability of that happening again is likely, so you’ve got to be ready for it.”
He also accepted they were so used to putting big scores on teams that when they got into pressure games they had to “mature” and “be ready for those situations”.
Mitchell watched the team win the inaugural WXV title under Louis Deacon last month, with captain Marlie Packer named Women’s World Player of the Year.
“I just love the way she leads through her actions,” said Mitchell. “There’s a saying in New Zealand – ‘she’s the one to put her head in the spokes’.”
It had been expected that a woman would be selected to lead the Red Roses into a home World Cup in 2025.
“I enjoy pressure,” said Mitchell. “All I can control is we have clear processes.”
Mitchell’s tenure will begin with the 2024 Six Nations – starting in Italy in March.
