A wounded animal is the most dangerous. The Red Roses might not have lost to Canada last Saturday but they did not win either, for the first time since 2022. England’s 40-game unbeaten streak continues with a blemish and when things do not go to plan they usually respond with a dominant swing.
Despite adding defence specialist Shaun Edwards as a coaching consultant earlier this week, the Tests do not get easier. This Saturday they face the team who last made them taste defeat in the World Cup final four years ago, the Black Ferns.
In recent years England have had their number, winning the three Tests they have played against each other in the past three years. But the nations have not played one another in two years and the Black Ferns are revitalised under the new head coach, Whitney Hansen, who has not yet lost since taking over the job in December of last year.
Panic buttons will not be grasped for by the hosts; the match against Canada was a thrilling and close Test which deservedly came out as a draw. On-field battles like that can help the Red Roses get better, according to the England back-row Abi Burton.
“I am not scared of losing any more, I am scared that we will become stagnant,” Burton said. “I don’t think we are at that point because we constantly look to get better in training and push each other from a selection point of view. But ultimately you don’t know what you don’t know and if we are at the point of we don’t feel like we are potentially progressing … you do need that ‘they are actually here now, they are on our tails, we were fighting before but we need to fight even more now’. You learn more from the losses and the draws than you do the wins.”
The discourse has been about their non-win but the biggest news out of the England camp this week is Edwards’s arrival. The head coach, John Mitchell, has said the 59-year-old is already forming good relationships with the players and Burton echoes that sentiment, saying they bonded over their rugby league backgrounds. Burton comes from a rugby league family with her father, Danny, playing for clubs such as Bradford Bulls.
“We got to have that moment of connection to have a chat about that, it felt really cool and special to share that with such a legend of the game,” she said. “It helps you connect and learn about each other.”
The general consensus from camp is that Edwards has slotted in seamlessly and has given the players defensive areas to work on this Saturday. Burton added the coach has an aura about him and has brought a new energy.
“That is something we haven’t had in a while,” she said. “Obviously Scaz [Emily Scarratt] went into her coaching role but she has been a constant. I think that aura is so powerful and it makes us want to step up because it is like this man is legendary. You don’t want to let him down, you want to step up. You don’t realise you have another gear to give until you get put in that situation. I think it is super exciting that he has joined us and he will be a real asset to the squad.”
The game will be played in front of almost 60,000 at Allianz Stadium almost a year to the day since the Rugby World Cup final, a game the Red Roses won after beating Canada. Prior to the tournament many had believed the showpiece in 2025 would have been between England and New Zealand. The Black Ferns did play on that final day but won the bronze medal after Canada beat them in the semi-final.
The New Zealand lock, Maiakawanakaulani Roos, says downing the Red Roses is their target and having several players compete in England’s PWR last season has aided their preparation. Roos herself played for Trailfinders, as did the captain Georgia Ponsonby with others like Liana Mikaele-Tu’u competing for Harlequins.
“We haven’t played them in two years and our game has grown so much and they have just gone from strength to strength,” Roos said. “I am really excited to see how we go and turn up for the challenge that is the Red Roses.
“I think we have seen how each other trains, seen the habits that we hold and it is so competitive. I really cannot wait to play them just because we know how they train now and how they do things. I think that is a bit of a point of difference that the girls who have played in the PWR have been able to help our team understand.”
England’s goal this weekend will be to start a new winning streak, while New Zealand’s will be to make sure the Red Roses head to Canada in October with their world record firmly in the rear view.
