"Go and win that World Cup" – Zoe Aldcroft addresses 2025 goals as new Red Roses captain

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Newly appointed Red Roses captain spoke to the media this afternoon, and addressed her road map for the incoming year at the helm of the England Women’s team. Aldcroft was unveiled as the new England skipper on Monday, with head coach John Mitchell selecting the Gloucester-Hartpury lock to lead the side into the upcoming Women’s Six Nations and this Autumn’s home soil Rugby World Cup.

Aldcroft replaces former captain Marlie Packer at the helm of the side, with Packer retaining a place in the leadership group as a vice-captain. The Saracen takes up the role alongside Leicester Tigers midfielder and rugby sevens Olympian Meg Jones, with the trio taking shape in a recent three-day training camp down at England’s Surrey home of Pennyhill Park.

Aldcroft and Mitchell spoke to the media this afternoon, in what was the first official media duties for the newly-minted England captain. Nestled in a makeshift media suite in the corner of England’s High Performance Centre, Aldcroft and Mitchell discussed the decision, and set their sights on success for the upcoming calendar year. With the excitement continuing to grow ahead of an exhilarating 12 months in the women’s game, here are the five biggest talking points from the press conference.

1. “Honour and Privilege” – Aldcroft ready to seize the opportunity as England captain

Aldcroft began the media session by giving her initial reaction to being told that she was going to lead the Red Roses forward. The Gloucester-Hartpury lock was making her staple breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast when the call came in from her head coach, and the 2021 World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year tried her best to play it cool as she was told the news.

ZOE ALDCROFT: “Yeah, it’s an absolute honor and privilege to be able to drive this amazing team to kind of where we want to go. And so it’s absolutely amazing.”

“I think it was maybe last Thursday a week, and just a phone call (when Mitchell told Aldcroft). I was kind of trying to keep it chill behind the phone, but I think my heart was actually going 100 miles an hour!”

“A massive part of the way I’m a captain is leading by example. When I do speak, I really mean what I am saying, and I like to think about what I am saying, but also bringing everyone else around me up. I want to make sure everyone feels that they can be themselves, they can thrive in whatever they are doing.

“It’s also really great that I’m supported by such an incredible leadership team that have so many different strengths. I think together, we can really drive this team to something special.”

2. “We want to win the World Cup” – the goal for 2025 is an clear one for the Red Roses

It is a milestone year for the Red Roses, with the number one ranked team in the world eyeing up their first Rugby World Cup title since the glory days of 2014. England have fallen in the final in the last two iterations of the tournament, with the Black Ferns of New Zealand taking the title in 2017 and 2022. Aldcroft expressed how the mission objective for the year is plain and simple, in winning the pinnacle competition this Autumn.

ZOE ALDCROFT: “It’s just about keeping our feet where we are right now. I obviously have thought about it, it’d be absolutely amazing, and that is our goal. We want to go and win that World Cup, there’s no two doubts about that. But, I think the whole process about how we can get this right at the time being, that will lead us to that.”

3. “Got to respect Marlie” – Aldcroft & Mitchell appreciate efforts of former skipper Packer

There were plenty of due diligence awarded to the former Red Roses captain Marlie Packer, with both Aldcroft and Mitchell expressing their delight in how the back row performed in the role. Packer took over the full captaincy following the retirement of Sarah Hunter, after the first round of the 2023 Women’s Six Nations. Packer would lead the Red Roses to back to back Women’s Six Nations and WXV1 titles, and establish a 20-match unbeaten streak as the world’s number one ranked side.

JOHN MITCHELL: “It’s never an easy decision to create change. You’ve got to respect people and you’ve certainly got to respect what Marlie’s done for our country and certainly in terms of leadership. But for me there’s a lot of competition for the seven position, and we’ve got 13 Test matches this year, where we’re not everyone’s going to be able to play with the same team.”

“She’s (Marlie Packer) just got a real opportunity now to be able to focus on her own performance. She can be somewhat selfish, which is not really her nature, because she’s so good at wanting to fix and help people. She’s got a real opportunity just to focus on her game. But let’s not be mistaken, she’s already contributing hugely in our leadership group.”

ZOE ALDCROFT: “It is really important to tap into the likes of, having spoken to Marley a little bit, and the likes of Sarah Hunter. I was captained by her for a good few years, and they’ve both been amazing captains, speaking to them and tapping into their knowledge of their experiences.”

4. Support Network – Marlie Packer and Meg Jones confirmed as Red Roses vice-captains

Aldcroft is by no means going alone as the Red Roses captain, with Marlie Packer and Meg Jones making up the leadership group with the new skipper. With 13 Test matches in a jam-packed 2025 calendar, John Mitchell will be looking to utilise his leaders to get the best possible outcome from the arduous season.

JOHN MITCHELL: “We’re not going to be able to play the same team the whole year. So we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got our leadership. As you can see, our triangle of Zoe, Marlie and Megan, we’ve just got to make sure that we’ve got that leadership covered throughout all our combinations, throughout the year.

“But, the main point, is that there’s competition. There’s serious competition in this team at the moment where the injury Gods are looking after us. So we’ve got a lot of depth, and we need to make sure we use that to our advantage.”

“They are the squad vice captains. So it could easily play out, because there’s a lot of rugby to be played between now and then. You might quite easily see Marlie captain the side at some point. So that’s the opportunity we have. We just can’t leave it to on the shoulders or one leader, we want to grow the leadership within the group.”

ZOE ALDCROFT: “She’s (Marlie Packer) been super supportive. I think we spoke last Wednesday, just about what it meant for each of us and those sorts of things. She’s been absolutely incredible. She’s said, ‘if I need absolutely anything, then she’s right there beside me,’which is huge.

“I really respect that from her. Obviously, I can take a lot from what she brings. She is an energizer. She is great at speaking and (I will) let her be herself in that role.”

5. ‘Grow the game in 2025’ – Aldcroft to lead Red Roses up North and talks Ilona Maher’s PWR impact

Aside from the immediacy of the Red Roses, the women’s rugby landscape is set for a seismic 12 months, with the culmination of the season being the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. Hosted across the entirity of England, Aldcroft is excited to grow the game in the North throughout a whirlwind season.

In an extra special touch for the Yorkshire native, Aldcroft’s first match as official Red Roses captain will be in York, as England kick off their 2025 Women’s Six Nations campaign against Italy. Also, Aldcroft discussed the massive impact that USA Eagles superstar Ilona Maher has had upon the women’s game, with the American making waves with Bristol Bears in the PWR. Aldcroft’s Gloucester-Hartpury was the first side to take on Maher, and the lock enjoyed the capacity crowd who watched on for a glimpse of the megastar.

ZOE ALDCROFT: “It’s only 50 minutes from where I started my my rugby journey, and so to have it in Yorkshire as well, rugby up north is something that we’re trying to grow for the young girls. So having it there is really good.”

“It’s massive to be able to go to all different parts of England. We predominantly have previously played a lot of games around London in the South of England. But for me, especially as a Northerner, it’s great to be able to go up to the likes of Sunderland, York, and grow the game up and around there. I know there’s some rugby mad girls up there, and it’s great to be able to give them the chance, to be able to come and see us.”

“I’m definitely more of an introverted leader. Yeah, not too big on the social media. Definitely not as big as Ilona Maher. I’d like to let my actions to do the talking.”

“It’s great for the sport.Bristol vs Gloucester, that was her first game over here, and we got to experience it first hand. 9,000 people in the stadium was absolutely incredible. For her, as just one person, to be able to come over and be able to do that for a league in England, for the PWR it’s amazing.

“I think if the girls want to put themselves out there and try to engage in different audiences, to bring people into women’s rugby, I think it is absolutely amazing. We have so many different talents in this Red Roses team, so many different people doing different things, like really harnessing their interests and hobbies and bringing it into this world of rugby I think it’s amazing that the girls have the ability to do that.”

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