Red Roses showed heart after disjointed first half says Mitchell
REACTION: Following England’s win over France in the semifinal of the World Cup, coach John Mitchell credited the Red Roses for showing heart to pull off the victory.
England struggled to grab the game by the scruff of the neck in the first half after an emotional week.
Mitchell said he wasn’t surprised by the resilience of the French and how they made his side work for every point.
“I knew they were going to come at us. You could tell through the events during the week and the emotion they shared in their warm-up.
“We just had to win, fight our way out of it. We were nice and calm at half-time. It will do us a lot of good, that. We were just a bit inaccurate in the first half. This occasion does create different pressures and emotions, and you just have to be able to handle it.”
He added that the win gave his side confidence for the Final against Canada next weekend.
“Without a doubt. Our girls are so driven to be better. To get yourself out of a difficult performance like tonight is a credit to them. Defensively, in the middle of the field, we were very good. There was some courage and a lot of heart shown there.”
“[It’s] two really good sides in the final, number one in the world and number two, and they both deserve to be there. It’s awesome for the game.”
Zoe Aldcroft, captain of England, added that they were not surprised by the French onslaught.
“We knew they were going to come after us. They have faced adversity all week. Our defence – I cannot fault the girls. I’m so proud we’ve got here; we’re going to a final. I am super excited for the week.”
Speaking about the way in which the team collected themselves at halftime, and coming out firing in the second half, Aldrcoft said: “Just being connected as a team. We believe in ourselves so much, and that goes such a long way. We’re embracing the whole experience and we have so much fight in this team.”
Looking ahead at the Final, the captain said they were eager to get out in front of their home crowd again.
“We can’t believe it. We cannot wait to get out there. We’re going to prepare as well as we can.”
“We’ve felt it from the start of the tournament. We can’t thank the crowds enough. We love every single one of you and it means so, so much to us.”
Ellie Kildunne, who walked away with the Player of the Match award, said the England pack was immense and that helped her to score two beautiful tries.
Another dazzling try for Ellie Kildunne 🤠#RWC2025 | #FRAvENG https://t.co/4RpraSud5Y pic.twitter.com/HqtSgo38dW
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) September 20, 2025
“It’s insane. The first thing I said was that I’ve stolen that from the rest of the team. Hannah Botterman, Maud Muir, all the forwards, you saw the defence they put in today.
“I barely had to make any tackles, so I don’t know why I got it (the Player of the Match award). Thank you for all the support, thank you to my team. We’ve got a final to go to, we need you there.”
She didn’t want credit for the tries she scored, opting to credit the whole team for the performance.
“It doesn’t mean anything, really, because the rest of the team does the work. The crowd is so loud, we feel the love. Keep it coming, this is not the end.”
“I’m absolutely buzzing. This is all we’ve been dreaming of. We’ve got another week of training, and we’ll keep our heads down. We know what we’ve got coming. I don’t even know what to say anymore!”
