Mitchell says 'greater things' after England's 26-26 draw with Canada ends 39-win streak
England and Canada played out a 26-26 draw at Exeter's Sandy Park on Saturday, a result that ended England's 39-match winning streak, and head coach John Mitchell said, "There will be greater things come as a result of this."
The match was only England's second game domestically or internationally this season and came in a physical contest at Sandy Park in which Canada, who had lost their 13 previous meetings with the Red Roses on English soil, held the world champions to a draw. Avoiding defeat meant the Red Roses extended their unbeaten run to 40 matches, and the squad still have WXV Global Series games against New Zealand, two more fixtures against Canada and another against the United States to play.
The opening 10 minutes mirrored last year's World Cup final, with Canada breaking the deadlock and England immediately replying, but unlike the 33-13 World Cup win last September the Red Roses were unable to seize sustained control. The two sides were never separated by more than one try and England failed to convert around 20 minutes of sustained pressure into the crucial score.
Mitchell described the missed opportunities in blunt terms: "It was just a matter of scoring across the white line," Mitchell said. "We were applying huge pressure. We just didn't convert." He added a longer assessment of the match and the programme: "There was such good stuff in there. I'm very patient because we're just starting and we're still alive in this Test series. "I'm a realist. There will be greater things come as a result of this. There's a greater purpose and one Test match is not going to take us away from our purpose."
Captain Meg Jones praised the contest's competitiveness and highlighted the series context, saying: "It was definitely tit for tat and definitely a game of momentum swinging," and "It was two good teams going at each other." Jones also reflected on the chance to respond: "It was an amazing contest and competitive as we imagined. This is the first Test. We get another two shots at it [against Canada]."
The 39-game winning run began under former head coach Simon Middleton, who after the World Cup final defeat in 2022 led the Red Roses to a Women's Six Nations Grand Slam in 2023. Mitchell took charge midway through the 2023 WXV1 campaign and had won every game until Saturday; England's sequence of victories included a win over Scotland in the World Cup quarter-finals last September that gave them a 31st straight Test win and surpassed their previous record across both men's and women's international rugby union set in 2022. World Cup success, another Women's Six Nations title and a victory over Australia last weekend had extended that record further.
Mitchell underlined the short-term focus on the Test series, saying: "We're in a Test series. It's 1-1. That's it." England will make October trips to Toronto and Ottawa as they continue the series against Canada.