The acid test will be this summer. They will be judged solely by winning or losing the World Cup.
With a smile and ready to share a laugh or two. That’s how Simon Middleton, England Women’s former head coach, took to this interview.
After a heartbreaking World Cup final loss to the Black Ferns back in 2022, Middleton decided to close his England chapter and move on to a new role as a World Rugby consultant coach.
He has been working closely with Japan for the past year and a half, helping Lesley McKenzie’s side prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
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He explains what we can expect from the Sakuras. “Japan has some fairly clear goals for the World Cup. They have never won a game outside of the pool stage, and hence have yet to qualify to the knockout stages, so obviously, you can imagine what their ambitions are. It will be a huge challenge, but, at the same time, it will be massively entertaining.”
Japan came close to beating South Africa, Scotland and Wales in WXV2 last year, and he expects them to go a bit further come August.
“World Cups are there for teams to cause shocks, aren’t they? Like Japan (men) against South Africa in 2015. If they take that same energy against Spain, Ireland, the Black Ferns, it could make things very interesting.”
And with his usual witty self-humour, he adds a prediction of a dramatic shake up in Pool C: “I predict Spain and Japan qualifying for the quarter-finals and the Black Ferns and Ireland to head home early.”
With England already getting ready to host what will be one of the biggest-ever rugby events, the 59-year-old agrees that it will set a new standard for the future. “I think it will be a Women’s Rugby World Cup like we have never seen before. The stadiums will be absolutely packed, and I’m sure the crowds will be amazing.”
For him, it will be the moment to push for further growth in the game. “We have to seize it globally, with some great initiatives so we can keep growing the game in other countries. We are witnessing teams closing the gap in the women’s game, be it Japan, the Netherlands, Spain and others, and that will inspire us to make the next Women’s World Cup even bigger.”
A team that has made significant progression was Ireland, under the guise of Simon Middleton’s former assistant coach, Scott Bemand.
“I am deeply thrilled for Scottie. He spent a long time as an assistant coach learning his trade and has done a great job for Ireland. You just have to look to that amazing victory over the Black Ferns in the WXV1, and I think another eight months on by the time we get to the World Cup, they will be well prepared.
“The problem is that they are in the same pool as Japan, so it will be interesting to see him there!”
As the game evolves and new coaches add their philosophy into the mix, Middleton gives his opinion of John Mitchell’s England side.
“The one thing you would look and say that they changed was the playing style, bringing a different dynamic to how they play. They play a very exciting kind of rugby that carries great threats. It is a more high-risk, high-reward approach, and I think it is exciting to watch them play.
“Ultimately, the acid test will be this summer. Like what happened with us in 2022, they will be judged solely by winning or losing the World Cup.”
One of the players wanting to lead England to the trophy and who is excelling for club and country at the moment is Zoe Aldcroft, England’s newly appointed skipper, and someone whom Middleton deeply respects.
“She is from Yorkshire, as I am, so that’s enough for me”, he says with a smile. “I am so pleased for her! Zoe is exactly what you want from a player. She is unbelievable, and if there was a player that deserved to become captain, it’s her.
“She is one of those unseen players in many ways, but because she has become so good in what she does, she is no longer unseen. Zoe is so tough and resilient and has such a big heart.
“In 2017, she played three pool games with a broken foot at the World Cup. She was offered the opportunity to undergo surgery before going to the tournament, and she was like, ‘I’ll get it done when I get back.’ That shows how tough she and the rest of them were and still are.”
For him, her injury in the 2022 World Cup final was the match-deciding moment. “Most people pick Lydia Thompson’s red card as the defining moment of the World Cup final, but it wasn’t. It actually was when Zoe had to be replaced five minutes later due to a concussion. That was a bigger blow than being down to 14 players.
“Leadership wasn’t natural to Zoe, but she has grown into the role with the help of Sean Lynn (at Gloucester-Hartpury), who has done a great job with her. John Mitchell recognised it, and it was a great and brave move to choose her as the new captain. She will be great at it.”
In his tenure for England, Middleton had envisioned a new future for the Red Roses that would allow them to become the sport’s bench markers. He opens up and tells us a bit more about the three key changes put in place since 2015.
“The first one was infrastructure. When I first started, my staff was comprised of six or seven people, and by the time I finished, it had expanded to 20. The support around the players was fantastic in terms of the quality, and making sure that every angle was covered in terms of the high-performance programme was vital for us.
“Another thing that drove the international game forward was the quality of the league introduced, with Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) as it is now known, having a spectacular impact from the start. Having high quality games week-in, week-out and more specialised staff helped the national team progress.
“The third thing is just how the game has been driven commercially, generating crowds, revenue, and TV streams, helping grow the game. In my first game for England, we had maybe 2,500 fans in the stand, while in the last we had 58,000 at Twickenham.”
After spending eight years at the helm for the Red Roses, Middleton has an abundance of experience as a head coach, and hasn’t closed the door on leading another national team.
“Never say never! There was a time that I said, ‘That’s it!’ but I have learned in my time with England to never say never. I’m really enjoying what I am doing now, and that’s the most important thing for me. I want to keep adding value to the people I work with, helping programmes grow and improve.”
With Middleton needing to get back to his duties as World Rugby consultant coach and prepare for another flight to Japan, he left with a forecast of who he believes will be World Cup finalists.
“England will be there, that, I am sure. And I think there’s a high chance that Canada could be there with the Red Roses. I watched them play against England at WXV, and I thought to myself, ‘how did they not win that game?’
“Canada played so well, and if they can recapture that form and continue to build, they will be difficult to beat. You know the Black Ferns will always turn up, as they get their cycles right, and when it’s World Cup year, they are ready.
“But I can’t see anybody beating Japan, to be honest!”
