Sitting at a table outside an English hotel, the trio of captain Meg Jones and vice-captains Amy Cokayne and Alex Matthews describe their individual leadership styles.
Jones, surely to no one’s surprise, is a motivator, eager to encourage her teammates on and off the field whenever she can, leading with “a lot of passion and pride.”
Cokayne takes a slightly different approach. “I’ll probably say the disciplinary officer or the enforcer,” explaining that if a message needs to be sent, it will most likely come from her. “I’m quite a straight man,” she adds, which she confirms given Cokayne’s background in the RAF.
And then you have Matthews, noticeably quieter, who was the captain England himself on a couple of occasions. “I’m more of an observer,” she adds. “That’s when I’ll take over those little conversations, as and when. I’ll speak when I feel like I have to speak. Sometimes there are too many voices.”
There is a clear balance between the two, with Jones appreciating Cokayne’s high standards, while Matthews is essential given that “if you miss something, you know she’s probably going to follow it up at some point”.
The leaders they played under for the first time when they entered the Red Roses set-up left a lasting impression. For Cokayne and Matthews it was Tamara Taylor, noting her calm demeanor and eye for detail.
“You could always go to her and she’d know the answer before you even asked,” Cokayne adds.
The most successful sides need a group of leaders beyond the captain and Matthews cites the influence of Rachel Burford, Nolli Waterman and Alice Richardson. Jones also mentions Emily Scarratt, also calm and articulate, and the confidence everyone had in Scarratt on the field.
But there are influential leaders outside the ranks of the Red Roses who have helped shape their appearance. Jones notes that she loved watching Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon, along with track and field—individual sports where athletes have to motivate themselves and “set their own standards,” choosing their own coaches and support staff.
Cokayne cites the influence of the RAF, which she joined as a pilot officer in 2017. Mark Jackson – or to use his full title, Vice-Marshal MG Jackson OBE – held discussions with the RAF’s women’s side about the direction of the team.
“He came into women’s rugby and said ‘what do you want to do?’, and set out a five-year plan. Instead of saying ‘we don’t have it’, it was ‘why don’t you have it’?” He defied everyone’s expectations,” explains Cokayne.
Now they had physios, S&C, supplements. Setting a five-year target to win the Women’s Inter-Services Championship, it took just three years, defeating Army 99-0 in 2019 not long before that.
“It never would have happened if it wasn’t for him and the leadership he showed to move the program (forward) as a whole.”
This Red Roses side faces almost the opposite problem to Cokayne’s old RAF team – how do you keep standards so high when you can’t stop winning? The streak now stands at 38 matches after winning another Guinness Women’s Six Nations title in Bordeaux earlier this year.
John Mitchell’s role as head coach is key in that regard – “He’s very observant and sees things that maybe can be pre-empted,” adds Jones – but also maintains a standard throughout the team, especially for new players coming in. “Simple things like timing or how to leave an environment, those little reminders.”
Not all those new players can keep up.
“We’re competitive, too. I think that’s the biggest thing. We always want to be better, and we have this natural aura,” adds Jones.
“I think when you get into a group you’re like, ‘Okay, fuck, I’ve actually got to step out here or I’ll be left behind’. And yes, that happens. Some people come in, they can’t take it, and they’re asked to leave. You come in, you get on with it, you’re asked to stay. There’s definitely that side of it.”
Matthews describes it as “cruelly being kind but supportive,” giving new players room to “explore, make mistakes,” while also giving them “friendly nudge” about what needs to be improved. “Everybody knows he’s coming from a good place. That’s where we have the tension.”
That relationship includes quality time off the pitch, with winger Jess Breach in charge of social activities alongside Harriet Martin, team manager.
“We’ve done a few entertainment nights, activities — I think pottery making at some point — we often go out for food, which brings us together. There’s variety,” Jones says.
Recently, there have been some obstacles in testing. They drop to their sixth seeded streak during the Women’s Six Nations, as Cokayne points out and Delaney Burns steps up.
“A lot of the time you want to raise the ceiling and sometimes you have to raise the floor. You have to rely on your depth. And I think that was a big challenge.”
England’s defense was also an issue during the Women’s Six Nations, challenging Jones, Cokayne and Matthews, all defensive leaders within the side. England have conceded more points than France and Ireland and had never conceded more points (104) in the competition’s history, leading to moments of introspection.
“It felt like we were saying all the right things, but for some reason, the actions weren’t happening,” adds Cokayne.
“It challenged us to be like, what should we do differently? Is it nice to say it’s not working. Should we show more clips? I took that really personally.”
England’s attack was so good in the end that they managed to hold off France and win the Grand Slam. A change in their defensive mindset has helped, but as Jones notes, sometimes the key is simply staying open with each other.
“I think the biggest thing is a sanity check with the rest of us. ‘Do you feel the same way I do?’ ‘Are we still fighting?’ Just seeing where everyone is and having an open and honest conversation with people, coaches as well. You know, there’s always an open door where we can go in and explore why it’s not working particularly well, or where we can do better. I guess there is no hidden ingredient. Maybe just awareness.”
When Jones was appointed captain back in April, as Zoe Stratford prepared to welcome her first child, she vowed to remain “the same old Meg”. Matthews and Cokayne confirm that was the case, and Jones admits she had to hold herself back from making so many jokes.
What they have seen is a growth in the partnership of Jones and Mitchell, with both captain and coach sending a clear message about when to switch on and off.
You learn a lot about a side from how well they handle the big moments. Recalling the women’s day build-up Rugby World Cup final last year, before beating Canada, Jones remembers the music playing in the breakfast room with Mo Hunt on the mic.
The captain’s race lasted 40 minutes and the team was relaxed. “It was the best training we’ve ever had,” Matthews recalls. “I remember everything just seemed to click and that really helped. Before, some of those sessions were really sticky. I remember looking at Zoe (Stratford) and he smiled a bit and we thought ‘this could be good’.”
Their subsequent success was a credit to the players, but also to the leadership. Jones is quick to point out that she’s not doing it alone. As did vice-captains Cokayne, Matthews and Vs Australia this weekend by Sadia Kabeya, there are several players who are either senior players or captains at their clubs, including Claudia Moloney-MacDonald, Sarah Bern and Marlie Packer. Abi Burton is another leader, in charge of the lineup.
Which suggests that all the foundations are in place for England to continue this remarkable journey. Bonded together in an open environment that demands the best, whether you’re winning your first game or your 50th.