Meg

Captain Meg Jones says England are aiming to expand their attack to stay at the head of rugby’s world order.

The Red Roses’ four-year, 41-match unbeaten run was ended by a pair of defeats by Canada earlier this month, while New Zealand threatened victory at Allianz Stadium last month, only to be undone by Zoe Harrison’s final-play try.

For so long the runaway leaders at the top of the world rankings, England could even have dropped to third with a combination of a 15-point defeat against the United States on Friday and a New Zealand win over France on Saturday.

That never looked likely as the Red Roses ran in nine tries in victory over the USA in New Jersey, but Jones says competition is becoming more fierce at the top of the game.

“Teams are getting better, that’s the nature of it,” Jones said.

“It happened in the men’s game, it’s happened in the women’s game, and we’ve just got to start being probably more unpredictable.

“We’ve learned loads on this tour, and gained so much feedback from where we want to keep growing, getting better and keep pushing.”

England duo Zoe Harrison and Megan Jones are among four nominees for World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year award.

They are nominated alongside Canada’s DaLeaka Menin and New Zealand’s Kaipo Olsen-Baker for the award, which recognises exceptional performances during the 2026 season.

Fly-half Harrison, 28, scored 88 points from the tee for England this year while Red Roses captain Jones, 30, is nominated for a second year in a row – missing out to Canada’s Sophie de Goede in 2025.

The World Cup-winning pair played important roles in England claiming their eighth successive Women’s Six Nations title in May, part of a 41-match unbeaten run ended by back-to-back defeats by Canada this month.

The winner will be announced following this weekend’s final WXV Global Series matches, with England facing the United States on Friday (21:15 GMT).

Elsewhere, England’s Abi Burton has been shortlisted for Women’s 15s Try of the Year for her try against Australia in the WXV Global Series in September.