England will be without talismanic full-back Ellie Kildunne for Saturday’s Six Nations decider against France after the Harlequins star suffered a minor hamstring injury in England’s win over Scotland.
Both sides will look to complete a Grand Slam at the Allianz Stadium, France eyeing their first title since 2018 while England size up a seventh straight Six Nations championship and a fourth consecutive unbeaten run in the competition.
Les Bleus will not be short on motivation, having finished second to England in each of their last five attempts at the tournament, and Kildunne’s absence may well present an opportunity to arrest the Red Roses’ run. Her absence on the team sheet is a conspicuous one, having scored a hat-trick against Wales and gained more meters than any other player in the competition.
Mitchell’s confidence in England’s depth was clear, though, as he confirmed Kildunne could have played through her injury but decided not to rush a return ahead of June’s pre-World Cup training camp.
“It is just something we have to get right, he said. “Let’s not lose her as a result of stretching it.”
Gloucester-Hartpury’s Emma Sing will inherit the No15 jersey, making just her third England start. Despite her relative lack of international experience, Mitchell feels she will prove an effective deputy, having scored 288 PWR points since 2023.
He continued: “Emma is a world-class full back, she has been the best in PWR, so it gives us another chance to adapt, another chance to deal with a situation that might occur down the track, so we are more than confident to make that decision.”
With England and France the top-ranked nations in Europe, Mitchell hopes England will be able to continue setting the standard ahead of this summer’s World Cup, which England will host for the first time since 2010.
He continued: “This opportunity at the weekend is like playing knockout football at the World Cup. These are the stages you want to get to, and the girls have worked hard to present this opportunity.
“It just happens to be our home tournament that’s really really important to us and a tournament that we have set the standard in. When you set the standard, people chase you and want to meet that standard.”
But France on Saturday is the more pressing matter, and Mitchell knows England will rise to the occasion at Twickenham Stadium as they continue to chase perfection.
“We are always continually searching to get that complete performance,” he said.
“I guess that's the fun part of the game, the challenge for the girls.
“That is why we play and are involved in it. The game is never finite, it is always giving you feedback that you can get better, especially this group. They want to get better.”
Mitchell has named a strong squad, with 14 of its 23 members present as the Red Roses beat France 38-33 in 2023’s Six Nations decider, also at Twickenham Stadium.
He will hope for history to repeat itself on Saturday.
England Red Roses XV vs France: Sing; Dow, Jones, Heard, MacDonald; Harrison, Hunt; Botterman, Atkin-Davies, Muir, Talling, Ward, Aldcroft, Feaunati, Matthews
Kick off: 4:45pm BST, Saturday April 26
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
