By Charlie Elliott
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England centre Megan Jones believes that the success of the Red Roses hasn’t had a secret ingredient and is instead down to hard work and the quality in the side.
Currently, Jones and her teammates are on a 22-game winning run and look set to win their fourth Grand Slam in a row, since the format changed to one singular table in 2022.
Born and raised in Wales, her first game back internationally since losing both her parents last year came a stone’s throw away from where she grew up in Cardiff.
Jones’ England team beat the hosts 67-12 in front of a record crowd for a women’s game at Principality Stadium.
Women’s Game
Things are really looking up for the women’s game ahead of the World Cup in England this summer, with Jones’ boot provider IDA teaming up with Guinness to create the first ever women-specific rugby boot.
There is still a long way to go before the World Cup opener at the Stadium of Light, when England face the USA, but it could be a historic year for rugby.
When asked about the recent success of the Red Roses and the key to it, Jones said:
Strong Pack
“Good forwards. We’ve got the best forwards in the world, and that goes to the front row, and then the depth that we’ve got, I find them incredible.
“I always tell them I’m in awe of how much they work. I always tell the backs; we need to probably do more to help them out and share the load. But they are non-stop.
“And Zoe Aldcroft illuminates that, because she’s an absolute workhorse and someone you want to back continuously.
“There’s no hidden ingredient. It’s just hard work and mental toughness for me.”
In the midst of such an impressive run and with such an exciting year ahead, it could be easy for players to lose focus and get complacent.
That hasn’t been an issue at all for England, who have continued to do their job in a professional manner.
Jones explained why she thinks that there hasn’t been an ounce of complacency in their play over the past few years.
Internal Competition
She said: “Knowing that you’re only as good as your last game. That’s literally it, we have got such a big ethos around internal competition.
“Emily Scarratt is my competition. How amazing is it to say that one of the best players in the world is your key competition, and you have to fight and battle for that?
“That’s where the non-complacency comes from, because the game doesn’t care what you did last year or 20 games ago or 30 games ago.
“It was all good having these winning streaks. It only cares about the next game that you’re about to face.
“We’re fully aware of that, and we’re also fully aware that we haven’t won a World Cup in two cycles. So, we can’t say we’re world champions if you haven’t got a World Cup.
“So that’s something we’re fully invested in, and we’re going to keep evolving and keep pushing towards.”
After losing both her parents last year, her first international game came this weekend against Wales, the country that her father came from.
Meaning More
She scored a try and put in an outstanding performance just a day before her first Mother’s Day after losing her mum.
Speaking of the game as a whole and playing the country of her birth, she explained what that experience was like.
“The biggest difference was not having my mum and dad in the crowds. I think that was probably the biggest.
“I have a lot of passion anyway, from my Welsh heritage, which I always continue to delve into, and I am passionate about.
“I love playing the Welsh, I think they have a lot of pride. They have a lot of joy playing for their country as well, so it was never going to be an easy, easy encounter.
“They came up firing their first 20 minutes was exactly what we expected. And it was just a good occasion. I loved the fact that we made history as well with the fans.
“Couldn’t have asked for more, really.”
READ MORE: Women’s Six Nations – Ellie Kildunne hat-trick inspires England
