Women's Six Nations 2025: Team guide - who can stop England winning title? - Voice of Asia

The Women's Six Nations Championship is set to kick off this Saturday, with England aiming for a seventh consecutive title and preparing for the Rugby World Cup held on home soil in August. Last year, the Red Roses comfortably defeated France in Bordeaux, securing their third consecutive Six Nations Grand Slam.

Consequently, England is a strong contender for this year's championship title. So, what is their form like? And how are the other national teams that aspire to challenge them? Ahead of the competition, the coaches of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland were interviewed on the BBC Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

Under the leadership of John Mitchell, England has achieved a 20-game winning streak and defeated Canada in October to win their second WXV1 title. Lock Zoe Aldcroft will captain the team, following head coach Mitchell's decision to change captains, with Saracens flanker Marlie Packer stepping down after holding the role for nearly two years. Mitchell stated, "We've started to get into our rugby in camp and Aldcroft goes about her business in her own way but her actions on a rugby field are really consistent. If I was her team-mate, I'd certainly follow her."

Considering England's large and high-quality player pool, Mitchell hopes to win his second Six Nations title while also potentially using the competition to further expand his selection options ahead of the World Cup. Mitchell added, "Our depth is a strength that I'm really grateful for. I'm not doing the Six Nations job on an isolated island, I've got the end goal (World Cup) in mind." World Rugby Player of the Year, Ellie Kildunne, is a player to watch, having scored nine tries in last year's competition and made over 300 more metres than any other player.

Ireland finished third in last year's championship and achieved a stunning victory against New Zealand in the WXV1 competition in October. Since Scott Bemand was appointed head coach in 2023, Ireland has transformed from a team that missed the 2022 World Cup to a team ranked sixth in the world after five wins last year. Bemand said: "It had been 10 years since an Irish women's team had beaten the Black Ferns. We needed some moments, we needed some things that people could hang their hat on. The confidence of the group started to flourish, they've started to gain some experience; they know they can bounce back from a tough half-time chat or a loss, they've got evidence of it."

Their resurgence has coincided with the rise of number eight Aoife Wafer, who scored six tries in nine tests last year and was named Ireland's Women's Player of the Year. Wafer, from Leinster, who will turn 22 three days after the team's opening championship match, is one of the most explosive ball carriers in women's rugby and scored two tries in the historic victory over New Zealand. However, Ireland will be without injured co-captain Sam Monaghan.

Scotland is ranked one place below Ireland in the world rankings and was defeated by Australia in the WXV2 title decider in October. Bryan Easson has been bold in his squad selection, naming nine uncapped players, justifying his decision with form and a "wider player pool to pick from". Easson said: "These uncapped players have been selected because of how they've been performing week in, week out. That's where we're changing - myself, my coaches and management are not picking players on reputation anymore, not picking players on what you've done before, we're picking players on what you're doing week in, week out in the PWR and Celtic Challenge." Evie Wills returns to the squad after suffering a serious ACL injury in August 2023 and will be looking to add to her three caps after featuring regularly at centre for Leicester Tigers this season.

After a disappointing year for Wales, Ioan Cunningham resigned as head coach in November. After picking up the wooden spoon in the Six Nations (narrowly avoiding it with a win against Italy), Cunningham's side managed just one win in their WXV2 campaign against Japan. Sean Lynn, newly recruited from Gloucester-Hartpury, has taken over. Lynn said: "My values as a coach are three words: care, challenge and passion. Everything I've brought to Gloucester-Hartpury is about togetherness and making sure we're all aligned. The biggest value I've got coming from Wales is how passionate and caring that family is, and that's what I want to bring into this environment - family and the future family we have on this journey, which is hugely exciting."

Captain Hannah Jones, fresh from winning her third consecutive PWR title with Lynn, will be a threat in midfield with her hard-running lines. With excitement building for a new era, more than 10,000 tickets have been sold for England's visit to the Principality Stadium on 29 March, breaking the team's previous home attendance record. However, a major loss for Wales is the absence of destructive prop Sisilia Tuipulotu, who will miss the competition with a hamstring injury.

France, ranked fourth in the world, was the last team to beat the Red Roses in the competition in 2018. However, their losing streak against the champions has now stretched to 13 matches, and they will need to show significant improvement to mount a title challenge this season. Under joint head coaches Gaelle Mignot and David Ortiz, France underperformed in the WXV1 competition, suffering heavy defeats to Canada and New Zealand. Winger Marine Menager is likely to be a key player for the team once again. The 28-year-old scored two tries against the Red Roses last year and made five clean breaks throughout the competition.

Italy, who managed just one win in last year's championship, decided to change head coaches after two wins in the WXV2 competition, appointing Fabio Roselli to replace Giovanni Raineri. Despite her diminutive stature, full-back Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi ranked fourth for metres gained (344.9) in last year's Six Nations and can unlock any defence with her elusive footwork. It will be a tough start for Roselli, whose side travels to face champions England in York on Sunday.