'Ellie Kildunne Out' – England vs France: Women's Six Nations Grand Slam decider at Twickenham this Saturday

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We are into the final week of the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations, and the championship will be decided in dramatic fashion this Saturday. England host France at the Allianz Stadium with a Grand Slam on the line, as the Red Roses hunt for their seventh consecutive title, before a highly anticipated Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign kicks off on home soil.

England head coach John Mitchell has once again made an assortment of changes, from his Red Roses side that handed Scotland an emphatic 59-7 defeat last time out. It was a brilliant display of attacking dominance at Welford Road, with the Red Roses out to emulate their efforts as they head to the home of English rugby this weekend. It will be the last time England play at Twickenham before a possible Women’s Rugby World Cup Final appearance, should all go according to plan this August and September.

Emma Sing gets the nod to start at fullback following a hamstring injury to the enigmatic Ellie Kildunne. Sing will make only her third England start this Saturday, yet over the past two PWR seasons, the outside back has scored 288 points for Gloucester-Hartpury. Abi Burton is on the bench this weekend, after the back row marked her debut against Wales with two tries back in March.

England captain Aldcroft, along with prop Sarah Bern and back row Alex Matthews, all made their debuts in respective battles against the French. Also, 14 out of the 23 named players in the England squad to face France this Saturday, featured in the Red Roses’ 2023 Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam decider at ‘HQ’, in what was the final match in charge for former head coach Simon Middleton.

ENGLAND TEAM TO PLAY FRANCE: 2025 GUINNESS WOMEN’S SIX NATIONS

15. Emma Sing 14. Abby Dow 13. Megan Jones 12. Tatyana Heard 11. Claudia MacDonald 10. Zoe Harrison 9. Natasha Hunt 1. Hannah Botterman 2. Lark Atkin-Davies 3. Maud Muir 4. Morwenna Talling 5. Abbie Ward 6. Zoe Aldcroft 7. Maddie Feaunati 8. Alex Matthews

16. Amy Cokayne 17. Kelsey Clifford 18. Sarah Bern 19. Rosie Galligan 20. Abi Burton 21. Lucy Packer 22. Holly Aitchison 23. Helena Rowland

Mitchell was flanked by his Red Roses captain Zoe Aldcroft and vice-captain Meg Jones this morning, with the trio talking to the media ahead of the latest installment of ‘Le Crunch’. Mitchell, Aldcroft and Jones addressed all from the upcoming battle with France, Ellie Kildunne’s injury and the road map to the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, with the highlights of the press conference picked out right here.

1. Red Roses Injury update – Ellie Kildunne out of Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam decider

First up on the agenda was the injury news, with John Mitchell providing an update on two of his star names, ahead of Grand Slam decider. Harlequins flyer Ellie Kildunne is out with a hamstring injury, whilst Saracens lock Rosie Galligan suffered a cut in training that is currently being monitored. The second row was named on the bench for the weekend, with all reports being optimistic for her return.

JOHN MITCHELL: “Ellie’s got a hammy (hamstring injury) so she’ll be out, and then Rosie Galligan’s got a cut that might still make the match.”

“She (Kildunne) could play actually. So it’s just something that we need to make sure that we get right. Let’s not lose her (for the World Cup) as a result of stretching it any any further, and let’s back our squad.”

“Emma Sing will play. Emma’s a world class fullback. She’s been the best in the PWR, so she gives us another chance to adapt, and it gives us another chance to deal with a situation that might occur down the track. We’re more than confident to make that decision.”

“She (Kildunne) should be back into it in June (Women’s World Cup preparations). So there should be no restrictions when it comes to June.”

Mitchell and Aldcroft then went on to explain how Galligan’s potential absence was a result of a coming together with her England captain. Aldcroft accidentally caught Galligan with her studs across the knee, with the damage being assessed day to day for the lock’s hopeful inclusion this Saturday.

2. “These Girls Lose Every Week” – The Impeccable Standards of the Red Roses to be the World’s Best

The last time the Red Roses lost a match was the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup Final, when New Zealand achieved a dramatic comeback win at Eden Park. This took place on November 12th 2022, with some 894 days passing since the tough taste of defeat. Since then, the Red Roses have swept up the 2023 & 2024 Women’s Six Nations and WXV1 titles and sit 8.35 points clear atop of the World Rugby rankings.

To continue to drive the incredible standards within his side, Mitchell and the Red Roses have their own high demands which they set out to achieve each week. Even when the Red Roses secure a one-sided win, Mitchell recognises areas of the game where England ‘failed’, and will be worked on and scrutinised in the following week’s training. With a winning streak of 21 on the bounce, the momentum continues to roll at a meteoric pace ahead of the home hosted Women’s World Cup.

JOHN MITCHELL: “It’s probably unusual to people on the on the outside. Results wise, you see that, but you don’t see us internally. These girls lose every week. You know the different combinations that we prepare, but they fail us. The team that’s playing on the weekend, they fail us. So we have plenty of failure in training, which then these girls are pretty keen to resolve quickly, and we thrive on that.

“That’s our driver. So, if we don’t raise our training level, or we don’t get that level from our opposition, then that’s where we will come unstuck. We drive that standard pretty hard within, it’s a role that’s expected of the players that aren’t selected. It’s a little gold nugget that we have because we’ve got such fantastic depth. I think the girls would both vouch for and support me in that area.”

“We’re just always continuously searching to get that complete performance. I guess that’s the fun part of the game. The challenge for the girls is that, and that’s why we play it, and they’re involved in it, because the game’s never finite. It’s always giving you feedback that you can get better. Especially this group, they want to get better.”

3. England vs France – Red Roses are ready for the toughest Test of the 2025 Women’s Six Nations

In a mirror image of the 2023 Guinness Women’s Six Nations finale, the Grand Slam will be decided at the home of English rugby in what will be a momentous match-up. The latest reports are that almost 40,000 tickets have been sold at Allianz Stadium, with the Red Roses firmly focused upon their incoming opponents from across the Channel. France are expected to challenge England with levels of physicality and set-piece prowess, the likes of which are yet to be seen so far in the Championship.

JOHN MITCHELL: “Without a doubt (It’s the toughest Test). They’ve (France) definitely been a consistent side. They’ve been using their group as well quite well. They look calm, they look like they have an identity that’s really clear. It’s a little bit different to last year. We’re excited by what they’ll present for us. It’s just another challenge that we look forward to. We’ve talked about this since we started back in the January camp, around how we’ve just got to be ready to adapt for anything.”

“I think when England plays France, your first principle is set piece. There’s no questions. There’s no need to hide that. So, that’s the first place we’ll be going after them.”

4. Meg Jones: Trailfinders transfer, midfield partnerships and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe’s dramatic Black Ferns return

The incredible enthusiasm of England centre Meg Jones could provide a talking points piece all by her self. Jones has recently agreed a move from Leicester Tigers to Trailfinders Women for the 2025/26 PWR season, and has been a star of the England midfield alongside multiple teammates this campaign. Jones expressed how she can only “only do Meg”, regardless of who she lines up with in the centre channels.

MEG JONES: “Yeah, big news for you! But I’ve known a bit longer. So, that’ll be later on in the year. Our focus is obviously home crowd at Allianz and just indulging in the occasion. I think it’s going to be an amazing occasion. So, I’m looking forward to stepping out there with the girls and the rest of the background staff as well. So it’s going to be a good one.”

“Nothing really changes, from my point of view. Always, whatever the game plan is that week, we set out to play, we go after it. Whatever my role is that week I set out to play, and I play the best version of me. I always say ‘I can only do Meg’, because that’s who I am, and if I’m going to do Meg, I’m the best version to do that. So, I’ll always just put my best foot forward, regardless of who’s on the inside of me or the outside of me.”

The news broke two days ago that legendary Black Fern Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has come out of retirement in a bid to play for New Zealand at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Jones has plenty of shared experience with the Kiwi from the sevens circuit, with the two crossing paths as recently as the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Jones is excited for another run-in with an icon of New Zealand rugby.

MEG JONES: “She’s a huge name in the game. Even when I first came in the game, she was huge at that point. So, amazing to see so much attention, and that illuminates how special the World Cup is going to be for someone of her caliber to come out of (retirement) for the World Cup. I know she’s been playing well in Super Rugby and I’m looking forward to catching up with her. Played her many times on the sevens circuit. I’m sure she’ll be having a big contribution to that Black Ferns team,

5. Rotation Central: Zoe Aldcroft is the only player to start every England match of the 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations

Red Roses head coach John Mitchell has made it no secret, that England have been reviewing their squad depth in the lead up to the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Throughout this past Women’s Six Nations campaign, only captain Zoe Aldcroft has started in every Red Roses match in what has been a real test for the recently appointed skipper.

Aldcroft took over the captaincy from Marlie Packer back in January, with this being Aldcroft’s first Six Nations campaign at the mantle. Aldcroft expressed how she’s been rising to the occassion to lead a new cast of faces each week, with Mitchell delighted by how his rotated squad has stepped up throughout the competition. The first four rounds of the Women’s Six Nations have been treated like the pool stages of the upcoming World Cup, with the incoming France clash set to emulate the level of the knockout rounds.

ZOE ALDCROFT: “It’s been important to identify the leaders that I do have in that squad and how I can best use those guys as well. But also, just an understanding for a less experienced player, to be able to put an arm around them and give them that confidence, that they can go out there and do their job. Just when we do have experienced players in the team, also using their knowledge and their ability to drive the team as well.”

JOHN MITCHELL: “You can see some elements of how we’re approaching it. We’ve tried to understand what the end in mind looks like, and then play out some of the scenarios throughout the tournament. This opportunity on the weekend is like playing knockout football in the World Cup, isn’t it?

“This is the stage that you want to get to. These girls have worked hard to present this opportunity. So it just happens to be our home tournament. That’s really, really important to us. In a tournament that we have set a standard, and when you’ve set a standard, people chase you and want to meet that standard.”

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QUIZ: QUIZ: Can You Name Every Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam Winning Captain (2006-2023)

The record books only go back so far and the winning captains can only be found as far back as the 2006 Women’s Six Nations. Nonetheless, this list names some of the all-time great Women’s rugby captains, in a quiz that will put your mind to the test!

You have six minutes, good luck!

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