England will come in a stressful test of the Six Nations, but the rivals are hidden

England will need all that belief and unity over the last six weeks.

More than half of the 32-strong squad that won last year’s Rugby World Cup were either injured or unavailable for at least part of this Six Nations campaign. And most of them are not found at all.

With plans twisted out of shape, and tension and scrutiny, they beat them all.

The blood that the French thought they could smell at last turned out to be a bloodbath for the Anglo-Saxons when it came back in the second half.

It was a team victory, but also a system.

As captain Meg Jones lifted the Six Nations trophy, it was a celebration of premiership women’s rugby.

England’s top flight is the world’s premier domestic rugby competition, with the standard of rugby attracting Test stars from around the world.

“We are very fortunate to have such a strong competition and we know that when our young girls get 1,000 minutes at PWR they are more likely to play for England,” Mitchell said.

“Our young players are coming in ready to play for the Red Roses.”

The way teenager Demelza Madame Short has entered the fray this campaign, stealing a change and enjoying a battle off the bench in a Grand Slam decider against France, is Exhibit A.

France does not have such strong domestic competition. Not yet.

Elite 1 is less professional, less competitive and shallower. The talent is concentrated in a handful of clubs.

England’s starting XV has representation from eight of PWR’s nine sides, while France’s line-up is drawn by just four of their domestic clubs. Toulouse, Stade Bordelais, Grenoble and Romagnat.

The aspects of the French age class are quite impressive. Last week, in Bedford, under 21 years of age They beat their English counterparts 71-17., External Last month, at Wellington College, under 18s, it was a similar story, a A 75-7 thrashing was handed to England’s youngsters., External

But that talent lacks a finishing lesson.

The French federation is pledging, big companies are signing sponsorship deals, and the Top 14, a strong, healthy men’s top flight, is better positioned than any other league to support women’s programs.

An emotional France captain, Mane Feuille, was pressed to speed up the process.

“We are going to bridge the gap in investment and the shape of the game,” she said. We have great potential, we need to invest now.

If they do, the dominance of red roses will be tested more thoroughly in the coming years.

There is no doubt that the competition needs it.

On the back of the Rugby World Cup, this Six Nations has returned star numbers.

Five of the six participating countries, England (77,120), France (35,062), Ireland (31,294), Scotland (30,498) and Italy (4,787) had new attendance records.

Even in England, who played three away games and had the largest crowd, the total attendance record was broken by 279,760 in 2024, with 188,182 wins.

Television viewership and online engagement have set new standards.

The continued danger to England of this all-round victory, with more rivals and less certainty, will increase those numbers once more.

For now, though, whatever growth graph the developers present, the most impressive numbers are the red roses.