Mitchell warns England could lose depth without PWR game time

England head coach John Mitchell has warned that the national side could lose depth if young players do not get enough time in Premiership Women’s Rugby, as the Red Roses assess back-to-back defeats by Canada.

Mitchell said the league was a “critical pathway” for players aged 19 to 23, particularly since sevens rugby was no longer an option for that development route. “It will be the future that will suffer if we’re not smart in that area,” he said.

The warning comes as a growing number of Canadian internationals play in England’s domestic competition. Twenty-five are contracted to PWR clubs for the 2026-27 season, and 11 featured in July’s final between Saracens and Trailfinders. Matchday squads must include at least 13 England-qualified players.

England have lost consecutive matches for the first time since 2016, including a 31-22 defeat in Ottawa that ended their record 39-match winning streak. But the BBC says this is only the team’s third defeat in 74 matches, and argues that perspective is needed.

The series has nevertheless exposed areas for improvement. England have conceded 18 tries in their past five WXV matches, compared with eight in six games at the World Cup. Captain Meg Jones said the team had struggled to execute when in Canada’s 22, while insisting: “We’re not broken, we just need to grow.”

Mitchell has had to draw on his squad during a year in which Abby Dow and Emily Scarratt retired after the World Cup, four players were absent through pregnancy, and injuries sidelined several senior players. He has given more than half a dozen players their debuts and used others out of position.

Canada’s reliance on PWR is striking: the country has no professional women’s domestic league, and its players had to crowdfund training-camp costs before the last World Cup. Mitchell’s concern is that overseas recruitment in England must not come at the expense of opportunities for young English players to gain the club experience he sees as vital to the national team’s future.