England head coach Mitchell open to 2027 women’s Lions role

John Mitchell, England’s head coach, says he’s willing to take over the first women’s 2027 tour of New Zealand.

In front of a record-setting 81, 885 women’s crowd at Twickenham, his team defeated Canada 33-13 on Saturday to claim their first Women’s Rugby World Cup since 2014.

The 61-year-old’s England contract expires on June 30, 2026, and he has not yet confirmed whether he wants to stay there after that date.

When Mitchell was questioned about the possibility of leading the women’s Lions on their historic tour of his home country, Mitchell responded, “The Lions is a huge honour and it is the first women’s Lions.”

“I can recall going to the 1977 Lions’ assembly at school. They have always been a part of my existence. If the chance did arise, I would undoubtedly take it into account.

“I just want to make sure I have the foundations in place for the upcoming World Cup cycle.”

The New Zealander has led the Red Roses to a 33-game winning streak since taking over from Simon Middleton in 2023.

Mitchell made it clear that it is too early to speculate whether or not the Women’s Six Nations, which he has won twice, will be his team’s final season in charge.

Three Test matches will be played for the six-time world champion Black Ferns during the first women’s lions tour.

Although a complete schedule has not yet been decided, the Lions will also play pre-Test games.

Andy Farrell, head coach for Ireland, and Warren Gatland, head coach for former Wales, both took a year off from their national teams to lead the men’s Lions’ tours.

Mitchell is determined to prepare his team for the 2029 World Cup in Australia despite his future plans beyond 2026.

Given their ages, Natasha Hunt, 36, Emily Scarratt, and Marlie Packer, all 35, added a second World Cup to their collection on Saturday.

“I love the]England women’s job and would like to win another World Cup,” Mitchell continued. “I still need to take into account a lot of things,” he continued.

“I have to attend the Six Nations and make sure I work with the players in November to ensure that they are focusing on the right things both physically and mentally.

We need to take a road trip in January to see each girl’s “why” and goals for the following cycle.

With a peak audience of 5.8 million viewers, the World Cup final at Twickenham was the most watched women’s rugby match ever on UK television.

More than three times as many tickets were sold overall as of the previous Women’s Rugby World Cup three years ago, 440, 000 of which were sold.

In their next match of the tournament, Mitchell’s side will face Ireland in one of their two home games on April 11; the second match will be played at Bristol’s Ashton Gate on April 25. The Six Nations will also be played at the same venue as the World Cup final.

The matchup with Ireland could provide an opportunity to break the Women’s Six Nations record crowd of 58, 498 set when the Red Roses defeated France to claim the Grand Slam in 2023 thanks to the momentum from a home World Cup.

The top 12 international teams will select their home and away games for September and October, according to a report from World Rugby earlier this month.

The former All Blacks head coach remarked, “We need to be smart about how we keep watching.”

Every team has a connection within the World Cup, according to the statement, “We can’t just have this fantastic World Cup that has captured such large audiences.”