John Mitchell says world champions England will seek new summits to scale

England head coach John Mitchell has declared his world champions will seek new summits to scale once celebrations over seizing New Zealand’s crown have subsided.

A 33-13 rout of Canada in Saturday’s World Cup final at Allianz Stadium has given the Red Roses’ dominance of the game the ultimate validation following so many near misses at previous tournaments.

Their winning run now reads a record 33 consecutive victories and they have lost just once in 64 Tests, against the Black Ferns in the 2022 showpiece. Mitchell, however, insists there is more to come.

“We’re no different to most explorers in the world. They always find another peak to climb and I think we will,” said Mitchell, who replaced Simon Middleton as head coach in 2023.

“These girls are driven. They’ve changed my life and the way I think. A trophy is one thing, a medal is another, but the value and the quality of the people you work with is the ultimate.”

Zoe Aldcroft, only the fourth England captain to lift a World Cup, insists her team is driven by more than success as the sport looks to build on a tournament that administrators have described as “transformational”.

BBC Sport announced the final was the most-watched women’s rugby union match ever on UK television and the most-watched rugby match of the year, with a peak audience of 5.8million.

A crowd of 81,885 crammed into Twickenham, setting a new record for the women’s game, and Aldcroft believes the value of a memorable afternoon will also be felt in the years to come.

“After we’ve had our celebrations, this chapter will close and then it’s about bringing in the next generation of Red Roses,” Aldcroft said.

“We’ll get a fresh group of Red Roses into the squad and that’s what keeps us fresh and keeps us chasing. We’re very competitive people and we want to be at the top of our game always.

“We’ve won the World Cup but in a few weeks’ time we’ll be back at our clubs and wanting to fight for them.

“The drive to keep pushing and getting better never stops. We always want to keep pushing limits. We have so many more people to inspire.

“Earlier in the summer we saw the Lionesses and that gave us the inspiration to do our part.

“We’ve wanted to inspire young girls by both seeing them on shoulders in the stadium and inspiring them to go to rugby clubs and pick up a ball and become future Red Roses.”

Second row Abbie Ward hopes the support received during the World Cup will continue into the Six Nations and beyond.

“Anyone who came to the final is going to come back. Whether you’re a die hard Red Roses fan or that was your first occasion, it was unbelievable,” Ward said.

“Getting off the bus was a moment we will never forget. Let’s see that again, let’s have that in the Six Nations against Ireland. That atmosphere was unmatched. Bring it on!”