England Women’s Coach John Mitchell To Stay In Role After This Summer’s World Cup On Home Soil

John Mitchell will remain England women’s head coach even if the Red Roses fail to win this year’s home World Cup.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) confirmed Mitchell, 61, will see out the rest of his contract, which runs until June 2026, regardless of results at the World Cup this summer.

England have not won the tournament since 2014, losing the past two finals to New Zealand’s Black Ferns.

Conor O’Shea, the RFU’s director of performance, told BBC Sport: “Results are important, but you don’t want people thinking about what their next job is by having a contract finishing at that time.

“There will be no thought for anything until we get through the World Cup and Six Nations.”

Mitchell was part of Eddie Jones’ coaching group when the England men’s team lost the 2019 World Cup final against South Africa.

The women lost the 2010 final to New Zealand on home soil, with the men crashing out of the pool stage in 2015.

John Mitchell Targeting England Women’s Rugby World Cup Win

Discussing Mitchell’s ability to handle the pressure of a home World Cup, O’Shea was confident.

“The process that Mitch [John Mitchell] will bring the group through over the next four or five months will be to attempt to take that pressure away from them, but also deal with it and rationalise,” He added.

“Anyone who has coached the All Blacks, England, the United States and Japan to the levels he has will have the battle scars to understand how to block out noise, but also use that pressure in a really good way.”

In this year’s Six Nations, the Red Roses won their opening four games with ease, before a thrilling 43-42 win against at Twickenham to claim the Grand Slam.

The result makes is four consecutive Grand Slams and seven Six Nations titles on the bounce, with England’s winning run extending to 25 games.

They last lost in 2022, with the World Cup final against New Zealand their most recent defeat.

But O’Shea argued that this year’s competition, which starts in August, will be anything but easy.

He said: “Anyone that thinks you are going to go into a World Cup and roll teams over because you are the hosts is deluding themselves.

“It’s going to be an unbelievable summer for that group of players. The carrot is huge, but you don’t write your own script. In sport, you never do.”

Four Grand Slams in a row and we are just getting started 🌹 #GuinnessW6N pic.twitter.com/WIHVa5wBNv

— Red Roses (@RedRosesRugby) April 28, 2025

Which Rugby Union Teams Has John Mitchell Coached?

New Zealander John Mitchell has possibly the longest and most varied coaching CV in professional rugby.

A former top-level player, he represented Waikato for ten years between 1985-1995, and also played for the Barbarians in 1996.

Although never capped by the All Blacks, he is widely regarded as having been a superb player.

Moving into coaching upon retirement, he started out as forwards coach of Ireland in 1996.

He then coaches Sale Sharks and London Wasps either side of a three year spell as England men’s forwards coach from 1997-2000.

Returning to his native New Zealand in 2000, he worked with the Chiefs in Super Rugby before landing the New Zealand job in 2001.

After the 2003 World Cup, he coached former club Waikato, as well as Western Force and South African side the Lions.

Spells in Japan, the USA and a return to South Africa with the Bulls followed before he was made England men’s defence coach in 2018.

He then reed Japan as defence coach in 2022 before taking over as head coach of the Red Roses in 2023.