England Red Roses pick 38-player Six Nations squad; Megan Jones captains in Stratford's absence
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Sports · 11 April, 2026 · 2 min read

England Red Roses pick 38-player Six Nations squad; Megan Jones captains in Stratford's absence

Happened

38-player England Red Roses squad for 2026 Six Nations: 22 forwards, 16 backs. Megan Jones captains the team in Zoe Stratford's absence.

Split on

England Red Roses 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations squad announcement.

Left out

2 of 3 outlets skipped it: haineala Lutui leads the PWR standings in carries and metres in contact..

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Same story, two versions

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Since England's Women’s Rugby World Cup success in September, Zoe Stratford, Lark Atkin-Davies and Abbie Ward have announced pregnancies, while Rosie Galligan, Cath O’Donnell, Jade Shekells and Ella Wyrwas are also unavailable for selection.
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England RugbyEngland Rugby

Unavailable for selection: Lark Atkin-Davies, Rosie Galligan, Cath O’Donnell, Jade Shekells, Zoe Stratford, Abbie Ward, Ella Wyrwas
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Illustrates a framing difference: pregnancy-based absence presented in one outlet, while the official roster lists unavailable players without explaining the pregnancy context.

Squad Leadership

Megan Jones has been appointed as captain in the absence of Zoe Stratford.

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Jones will be supported by vice-captains Amy Cokayne and Alex Matthews.

The squad will assemble at England Rugby Performance Centre at Pennyhill Park on Monday 23 March.

Mitchell emphasized the importance of earning success in the competition 'every time'.

The coach maintains an open-minded approach to player combinations.

Squad Experience

The selected squad boasts significant international experience with 1,143 Test caps.

The team consists of 22 forwards and 16 backs.

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There are 25 Women's Rugby World Cup winners among the squad ranks.

Mitchell has included seven uncapped players to bring fresh energy.

England begins their Six Nations defense against Ireland on April 11.

The match at Allianz Stadium has already sold over 67,000 tickets.

This will likely surpass the previous tournament record crowd of 58,498.

New Players

The uncapped septet consists of Christiana Balogun, Millie David, Haineala Lutui, Annabel Meta, Sarah Parry, Demelza Short and Jodie Verghese.

International recalls include Liz Hanlon and Connie Powell from Harlequins.

Other recalled players are Daisy Hibbert-Jones and Bo Westcombe Evans from Loughborough Lightning.

Mia Venner from Gloucester Hartpury and Flo Robinson from Exeter Chiefs are also recalled.

Powell is the most experienced recalled player with 19 Test caps.

Coaching Approach

Mitchell outlined his coaching philosophy for the tournament.

He emphasized the need for players to 'take the handbrake off' and express themselves.

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The coach will maintain open-mindedness about player combinations.

Mitchell will observe how players compete under pressure and deal with game situations.

Centre Jade Shekells and scrum-half Ella Wyrwas are initially left out due to injuries.

Both players might yet make a return before the end of the tournament.

The second home fixture against Wales at Ashton Gate in Bristol already has a record crowd confirmed.