Many a coach has tried and failed to find a solution to the Red Roses’ dominance over the last half-a-decade; this weekend, it will be the turn of an individual with a degree of inside knowledge to take on that unenviable task. England enter their final Women’s Rugby World Cup pool outing against Australia seeking to match their own record winning run of 30 consecutive matches set in the lead-up to the last final, with one of their own plotting an unlikely end to that streak.
Jo Yapp wore the white of England with distinction 70 times, the former scrum half a key figure in an era in which the side, yet to be given their now familiar floral sobriquet, conquered just about everyone yet found the ultimate prize, World Cup glory, elusive. Indeed, Yapp experienced the pain of final defeat as captain at the 2006 tournament, before stepping into coaching, guiding many of John Mitchell’s squad on their route through the English pathway. As she prepares for a reunion of sorts in Brighton on Saturday as Wallaroos, it makes her an ideal person to assess the particular challenge of preparing a side to face the tournament favourites.
