From All Blacks to Red Roses – Mitchell’s coaching journey

Before the birth of 10 of his World Cup semi-final starting XV, England women’s head coach John Mitchell was instructing elite rugby.

The New Zealander is in his 16th year of coaching after taking over as Ireland’s forward coach in 1996.

Mitchell, 61, has a stellar resume that includes stints with the England men’s team and World Cup coaching of the All Blacks.

His most notable tenure, at Western Force Super Rugby side, occurred between 2006 and 2010, in South Africa, Australia, the United States, and Japan.

As he leads the Red Roses in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final against Canada, Victory on Saturday at a sold-out Twickenham match might be his greatest success to date.

Mitchell, a skilled back-rower, had a playing career that was completely different from his coaching career. He played for the provincial team Waikato in more than 100 games for the country for ten years, but he never made a Test appearance.

Mitchell also played for Limerick-based Garryowen in the All-Ireland League during his time at Waikato.

His coaching career began when he returned to Ireland in 1996 to work for fellow New Zealander Murray Kidd, who had previously coached at Garryowen.

The following season, Sale Sharks appointed him as manager, and he made his first official move to England.

Under Sir Clive Woodward’s leadership, Mitchell was working in the England camp for the next two years, concentrating in defense.

He has a reputation for putting things into action. Former England full-back Matt Perry recalled that if you are committed to the team and him as a coach, he will give you everything.

The drills were difficult and brutal, and you had to have the right mindset, according to a proud Kiwi who coached England.

The infamous 1998 “Tour of Hell” in England is best remembered for Australia’s record 76-0 defeat.

Jonny Wilkinson, who had started at fly-half for the first time, started at outside center that day.

A lackluster squad lost four Tests in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa because several key players were injured or unavailable.

However, it turned out to be a crucial turning point, as many members of that group won the 2003 World Championship.

Mitchell accepted the England setup in 2000, which he did not support.

Perry, who won his final international cap in 2006, said that “Johnny Mitchell was a significant part of why England won the World Cup without a doubt.”

Before the All Blacks appointed a 37-year-old Mitchell as head coach in 2001, the Chiefs made a second move to New Zealand to take over the Super Rugby side.

With center Tana Umaga and scrum-half Justin Marshall the only players with more than 50 caps, he won back-to-back Tri Nations titles (now known as The Rugby Championship).

Mitchell, who was later replaced as head coach, was put under more pressure due to their disappointing semi-final defeat against Australia.

However, greats of New Zealand rugby, like Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, adapted their lessons from his time there and won the World Cup.

Mitchell recalled that he took a chance with a younger squad that would later serve the All Blacks for nine more years.

I made all those changes and opted to join a spirited squad that was playing excellent rugby, even though I wasn’t the bearer of my fruit.

Mitchell spent time in New Zealand before moving on to coach clubs in Australia and South Africa after leaving his former side Waikato.

He was stabbed by intruders in his home in Johannesburg in 2010, tied up, and then interrogated.

The New Zealander’s struggle for survival gave her a chance to reveal a more tender, emotional side.

Mitchell told the Good, the Bad, and the Rugby podcast, “I was a little bit lost in my career when it happened.”

My coaching and leadership were both poor. At that point, I was stuck and unresponsive. I discovered a way as a result of that.

“It sent me the message that I needed to alter my mindset, stop chasing after results, change my process, and start doing things that matter to me,” it said.

Eddie Jones turned his career into a full circle when he was appointed as England’s defense coach following brief stints as head coach of the United States national team and South African side the Bulls between 2016 and 2018.

Daryl moved back to New Zealand in 2011 and later became a Test cricket player, while Mitchell put his family first and remained living there to ensure his daughter passed high school.

In the epic World Cup semi-final victory over New Zealand in 2019, he helped to mastermind a defense that only conceded seven points.

“I believe I’ve gotten a little sluggish.” We do mistakes, but we also have the right to grow. Mitchell told Radio 5 Live in 2018 that “I coach much differently than maybe I did 20 years ago.”

Mitchell never gave in to the desire to play top-notch international rugby again as head coach.

After Simon Middleton failed to win his second successive World Cup final against New Zealand, he was appointed head coach of the Red Roses in 2023.

Mitchell accepted the England job with a clear message after working with the Japan men’s team at the 2023 World Cup. He desired that his side “become a truly champion side.”

He always wanted his team to win the home World Cup this year, but he also wanted them to enjoy the journey.

Mitchell frequently appears dancing in his team’s TikToks, and he made it clear that there would be no social media restrictions during the World Cup, preventing what he called a “high-performance jail.”

Although professionalism and high standards are unavoidable, his assistants, Lou Meadows, Louis Deacon, and Sarah Hunter, who are still young coaches in their early stages of their coaching careers, share a lot of that responsibility.

The Red Roses have won back-to-back WXV1 titles and six Six Nations Grand Slams in succession, setting a new record for 32 straight wins.

Under Mitchell’s leadership, England is unbeaten, but Canada is likely to be his most difficult opponent to date.

He stated before the tournament, “I told myself that whatever happens, happens.” Winning the World Cup won’t define me if it doesn’t happen.

When I was younger, I fought against letting outcome get to me like I did it.

There is more to winning than just putting all your eggs in one basket, according to the author. Yes, getting it done, but you also need to have some truly amazing experience.

With his contract up until June 30, 2026, that “phenomenal experience” may have been absent from some of his earlier roles, but it has now become a core component of his coaching philosophy.

You might ask if his own time has come since he helped to form two World Cup-winning teams.

When England won the Six Nations Grand Slam, they had already won it seven years in a row. Mitchell cried.