John Mitchell: Red Roses captain change hasn’t been good for Marlie Packer or me ahead of Women’s Six Nations | Rugby Union News
The head coach of the English Red Roses John Mitchell declared for Sky Sports the change of captaincy from Marlie Packer to Zoe Aldcroft “wasn’t nice” either for the former or for Mitchell himself.
Mitchell announced last week that 28-year-old Lock Aldcroft would replace Packer – captain of England’s last two Six Nations Grand Slam successes – for the Women’s Six Nations 2025, which starts on March 22.
Packer, named vice-captain alongside Meg Jones, was also named the 2023 World Rugby Player of the Year, but Mitchell previously cited competition for Packer’s back-row spot as part of the decision to hand Aldcroft the captain’s armband.
Speaking with Sky Sports on Wednesday, the 60-year-old admits it was a difficult moment.
“It wasn’t nice for Marlie. It wasn’t nice for me to do it, but I had to do it in the best interest of the Red Roses. And she took it like a champ, which is huge,” Mitchell said.
“I went to see Marlie, which I think is important when you’re making a tough decision. As much as Marlie will definitely be hurt, she’s already contributed in the camp. It’s a real testament to her, the way he took it on the chin.
“I wanted to be really clear about the leadership so that the culture can move forward with the right behavior in the year – and how we can all contribute to that.
“You have to respect Marlie, she’s a wonderful woman and she was a great England rugby player and captain… you have to be sympathetic to the change. It’s not personal.
“I just thought we’ve got so much competition at No.7 – we’ve got competition really everywhere – so, for me, then it was a question of ‘who’s on the team list every week?’ And he had to be the most consistent player within the group.
“That’s why I thought of Zoe. She’s well-respected among her peers, leads by example in training and leads in her performances. She’s also a lovely and caring woman.
“She will still be complimented by Marlie, who brings a different set of skills and strengths, as well as Megan, who holds people accountable and another who is very consistent.
“They fit into the leadership group that drives the culture. It’s really satisfying the group.”
This month’s camp comes courtesy of the Red Roses winning their third straight Six Nations Women’s Grand Slam.
Indeed, England won their sixth consecutive Six Nations title and third consecutive Grand Slam in 2024, sealing it in Round 5 with a 42-21 victory over France in Bordeaux in a great performance against the second half of the historic ‘big women’s six nations’ two. ‘
Also on the horizon is the question of the home Rugby World Cup in England, which starts on August 22.
“This is a big year. We have to be excited about the opportunities,” Mitchell added.
“All the choices we make during the year have to be critical to our goals, but we can’t make them bigger than what they really are. We have to stay clear and work as hard as we can.
“The Six Nations will be a base camp where we will try to develop our game. There is a lot of improvement left in us.
“We’re excited about where we’re going to go with our game next. We’ll test it in the Six Nations and then hopefully we’ll be in a good place to develop even more going into the World Cup.”
Aldcroft: My heart was going 100 miles an hour when I was told | ‘Packer was amazing’
Aldcroft has previously captained her country on several occasions, first taking on the role in the 89-0 win over the United States in November 2021, while overseeing comprehensive victories over Wales and Scotland during the 2024 Six Nations.
Her response to Mitchell’s call was pure excitement.
“I’m very, very grateful to be chosen as England captain. It’s a huge honor and a privilege to lead these amazing girls,” said Aldcroft Sky Sports.
“It’s such an honor to already have so many great people and leaders on this team. To be able to move this whole Red Roses environment forward is just amazing.
“He [Mitchell] he called me over Christmas and explained the reasons, about how to lead by example and not change who I am – to keep the authenticity in myself – which was obviously very nice to hear.
“He just said it so blasé. My heart was going like 100 miles an hour. I was at home in my kitchen… I got off the phone and called my husband very quickly. It was amazing and super exciting.
“Obviously this is the first time we’ve met as the Red Roses this year, so it was really good to catch up with everyone, see what everyone was up to and get a clear mindset about how we want to attack the year – setting some values for ourselves, so this year we can be the phenomenal team we want to be.”
When asked how Packer has been since the big announcement, Aldcroft was full of praise.
“We’ve seen what Marlie brings as a captain, she’s an incredible energizer, she fixes all the problems that need to be fixed – she’s been an incredible captain over the last few years. Her support has been absolutely incredible, honestly, it’s been incredible,” Aldcroft added.
“She [Packer] there is [given tips]. She said that sometimes maybe I should just go to my room and chill for a bit.
“She’s honestly been super, super important. If I need anything, I know she’ll be there for me the whole time. It’s been amazing to have her support.
“We also have a wider group of leaders. We met last week in London, talked about how our dynamic will work and how we drive the team, the culture and everything on the pitch.
“It’s really important that we delve into how we communicate with each other, how each other likes to be addressed and what are the main roles of people.
“Our core values are ‘courage’, ‘connection’, ‘leadership’. We studied how the Red Roses look, act and feel. We dug into it as a whole group. It was really good to get everyone’s ideas, and now we can live therefore, to be the kind of people we want to have in this environment.”
