Marlie Packer remembers when “a hundred fans and a couple of dogs” came to watch England play rugby. Now, the longest-serving member of the Red Roses has played in front of 81,000 people.
Last autumn, Twickenham sold out for the World Cup final, and Packer walked off the team bus into something she had never seen in her years of wearing an England shirt. “The hairs on the back of your neck just stood up,” she said. “Because it was the most sensational thing I’ve ever seen in rugby.”
The tournament had travelled the country—Sunderland, Northampton, Brighton—picking up supporters at every stop before delivering them, in record numbers, to the home of English rugby. “We didn’t just play in one spot and have fans travel to us,” Packer reflected. “We managed to go all over the country, and fans came to the games, and then actually, that’s when they were like, ‘This is amazing, we want to get a ticket for that final.'”
Another record crowd awaits as England open their Women’s Six Nations campaign as reigning world champions, and the Red Roses are chasing more history. No team has followed a World Cup title with a Six Nations Grand Slam. This group intends to be the first.
Record crowds don’t materialise from nowhere. Behind the sell-outs and rising viewership is a squad deliberately rebuilt—culturally, not just tactically—by head coach John Mitchell when he arrived four years ago. England were already strong, two World Cup cycles deep with two finals reached and two defeats. Mitchell identified the gap quickly, and it wasn’t purely about playing personnel.
“It wasn’t just the on-pitch stuff,” Packer explained. “It was the off-pitch stuff that he needed to change, and he came in and smashed our culture straight away. He wanted to elevate us, he wanted us to be ourselves—when we’re on, we’re on, but when we’re off, we’re off, and enjoy each other’s company.”
Megan Jones, who captains the side into this Six Nations after World Cup-winning skipper Zoe Stratford announced she is expecting her first child, believes the group actively resists the comfort of success. “You hear the phrase—if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” she said. “We’re probably looking from a different angle. We want to break it to see if we can withstand it, and kind of mould it into our own, so we’re not afraid to break things to try and keep raising the game and raising the bar.”
Several players are uncapped at senior international level, including Christiana Balogun, Millie David, Haineala Lutui, Annabel Meta, Sarah Parry, Demelza Short and Jodie Verghese. Flanker Sadia Kabeya believes Mitchell has fostered an environment ideal for introducing young players. “It gives you a space where you can be comfortable, but also push yourself outside those comfort zones,” she said. “It just allows you to be yourself, and you know you don’t have to be someone else.”
Packer has noticed a broader cultural shift since the World Cup—not just higher attendance figures. At club appearances, boys have started asking for autographs alongside girls asking how they can play like her. “I want to be there for any girl, boy, at any age,” she said. “Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you want to go down to your local club, go pick up a ball and have fun, because actually what rugby has given me isn’t just about what’s on the pitch, it’s about the friendships I’ve made.”
Kabeya is clear about the moment’s significance beyond sport. “It’s not just about inspiring women, inspiring young girls,” she said. “Inspiring young boys and men, and allowing them to come into our world—because for the longest time it’s just been women understanding women’s rugby, and now we’re growing that picture and growing that fanbase.”
Despite the professionalism that has driven success, the team remains full of personality. Jones emphasises the balance she hopes people see. “I always thought being professional, you had to be this straight-laced person and take yourself very seriously—when actually it’s quite the complete opposite,” she said. “That’s what a lot of us want to showcase—we’re all different individuals, and actually we’ve just all come together and encompass the same goal, which is to win.”
The Six Nations opener brings another record crowd and another opportunity to set records. “I’m super excited to get back on the pitch, get back to being with the girls, and obviously another record-breaking crowd,” said Kabeya. “Especially building off the momentum we’ve had in terms of the growth of women’s rugby, hopefully we can just see bigger, better crowds, great atmospheres.”
Packer, a veteran of 112 caps, is clear about what is needed heading into the tournament. “We can’t just rely on the fact that we’re world champions and we got everything right in the World Cup,” she said. “Because, actually, that’s when that would be your Achilles heel. We need to make sure we keep evolving and putting our best foot forward.”
England’s 2026 Women’s Six Nations fixtures
– vs Ireland (Saturday April 11) – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (2.45pm)
– vs Scotland (Saturday April 18) – Murrayfield, Edinburgh (1.30pm)
– vs Wales (Saturday April 25) – Ashton Gate, Bristol (2.15pm)
– vs Italy (Saturday May 9) – Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma (3pm)
– vs France (Sunday May 17) – Stade Atlantique, Bordeaux (5.45pm)