Women's Six Nations: England demand high standards, starting with the opening game against Italy

• By Alastair Telfer
• ` Sport

40 minutes ago

video caption,

Women's Six Nations 2024: Watch the best attempts from 2023

Women's Six Nations: Italy vs England
Venue: Sergio Lanfranchi Stadium, Parma. Dates: Sunday, March 24th. Kick-off: 3:00 p.m. GMT
Coverage: Watch live on ` Two, ` iPlayer and online; Text commentary, highlights and coverage on the ` Sport website and app.

The John Mitchell era still hasn't really begun.

A proper camp ahead of England's opening game against Italy in Parma on Sunday has given Mitchell time to instill a new style of play.

His philosophy is simple: fast, attacking and free flowing rugby.

“We have to play faster,” Mitchell told ` Sport. “Our game is really developing, but we want to get faster. I would like us to create even more pressure.”

“We want to make sure we can attack or convert the opponent in different ways, not just in the primary striker area.”

Returning stars looking to impress

England's bat, which helped them dominate the Six Nations and reach the 2022 World Cup final, was their main weapon under former head coach Simon Middleton.

The return from injury of Zoe Harrison at fly-half and Emily Scarratt at centre-back, who has played predominantly at full-back in her 108-cap career, suggests changes in attack.

“It’s a nice new challenge to familiarize myself with the new English way of playing,” said Scarratt.

“We have an amazing range of talented people and the strength of the entire squad is pretty ridiculous.”

Lock Abbie Ward is also back in the starting lineup for the first time since birth.

The trio were key players during the World Cup but new talent has emerged in their absence and Mitchell wants the old guard to get back up to speed as quickly as possible.

“My aim is to immerse them in Test rugby as quickly as possible and stop them guessing what it will be like,” he added.

“It's important to grasp reality quickly, so get it there and get it going, which then leads to healthy competition within the group.”

Mitchell said he knows his “best combinations” but is open to players proving him wrong as he tries to create opportunities for a home World Cup in 2025.

“The rotation may not end,” he said. “I’ve never seen some of the girls play Test rugby for England before. Now is the chance to put runs on the board.”

Success more than results

The Red Roses are aiming for a third consecutive Grand Slam title and sixth consecutive Six Nations title.

With such success comes high expectations.

Captain Marlie Packer will win her 100th cap against Italy and wants this campaign to deliver more than just results.

“We have to make sure we perform well in every game, and it's not just about the points on the board, but how we perform as players,” Packer said.

“We have goals in defense and attack that we want to achieve in these games and that will determine for us whether this Six Nations was successful.”

Italy “extraordinary” in losing the ball

Despite the heavy blows, Italy remained positive in their attacking style, which was evident throughout the Six Nations and WXV2.

“We know they're going to play from 100 yards because that's how they express themselves and how they play,” Mitchell added.

“They won’t be surprised and will definitely continue to attack.”

Another threat the Italians pose is their ability to win turnover balls – at a jackal rate of eight per game – to launch these attacks.

Packer is ready for battle on the ground as England's open flanker and key turnover opponent.

“I love a jackal myself and anything over three is a good turnover jackal,” she said. “Eight is extraordinary.”

A World Cup title in 2025 remains the ultimate goal, but Sunday presents an opportunity to lay new foundations as the team aims for a first title under Mitchell's new regime.

Lineups

Italy: Ostuni Minuzzi; Muzzo, Sillari, Rigoni, D'Inca; Madia, Stefan; Maris, Turani, Seye, Fedrighi, Tounesi, Locatelli, Sgorbini, Cavina.

Substitutions: Gurioli, Stecca, Gai, Pilani, Duca, Frangipani, Stevanin, Granzotto.

England: Kildunne; Dow, Rowland, Scarratt, Breach; Harrison, Packer; Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Clifford, Aldcroft, Ward, Kabeya, Packer, Beckett.

Replacements: Powell, Carson, Muir, Feaunati, Matthews, Hunt, Aitchison, Jones.