Former Red Roses captain Maggie Alphonsi is impressed with the way England have bounced back from their World Cup Final defeat in their first two Six Nations games.
Speaking on The Rugby Paper Podcast, Alphonsi praised England's opening two performances in 58-7 and 68-5 victories against Scotland and Italy respectively, especially given the adversity of that loss, having players sidelined and the retirement of captain Sarah Hunter.
She said: “After any big defeat, especially one that they had been building up to for so long, is always tough. To recover in the way that they have has been brilliant.
“Look, they haven't played against New Zealand, and that's the team they would define themselves against, but to do as well as they did against Scotland and score as many tries as they did against Italy has been impressive to see.
“Considering they've got injuries, a captain who's retired with 141 caps coming straight out of the team, and a lot of young players, it's great that they're still thriving.
“It's an exciting team just under three years away from the next World Cup who have bounced back really well.”
Alphonsi has also been impressed by the evolution of the England team in the early part of the tournament, and the focus they have put on depth that will leave them well prepared for the next World Cup in 2025.
“After any Rugby World Cup campaign teams have to evolve,” she added. “They have to bring players in and make management changes, that's just the reality of World Cup cycles.
“You need to have a depth of almost three players per jersey, you need to have players who can slot in and the ability to mix up your combinations.
“If I look at the depth they've got throughout, most players in the squad could effectively start in another nationality's first team.
“When I did work for the RFU in their England pathway project, we spent a lot of time getting U18s and U20s ready for this current moment, and as a result of that we have loads of strong players in every position.”
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