After an 11-year wait and back-to-back defeats in the final, England are once again rugby union world champions. The Red Roses had the same ingredients at this World Cup as they did three years ago: world-class squad, winning dominance and full support from their union. So what made England take the next step to win in 2025? As Ellie Kildunne said after the semi-final win against France, a World Cup isn’t won in a week, it’s won over a cycle. The slight changes implemented under John Mitchell’s new coaching era since 2023 enabled them to be victorious at Twickenham.
After the 2023 Six Nations Louis Deacon remained as forwards coach but Mitchell came in as head coach, Sarah Hunter was introduced in defence and Lou Meadows came in attack. Making the attack more unpredictable was one of the main things they wanted to alter.
