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Mitchell urges England to 'play on the edge' despite Six Nations red cards / Photo: © AFP/File
Mitchell urges England to 'play on the edge' despite Six Nations red cards
England coach John Mitchell has told his side to "play on the edge" despite the red cards that have been a feature of their Women's Six Nations campaign.
Mitchell's team have had two players dismissed in their first three matches, with Sarah Beckett sent off in their opener against Italy and hooker Amy Cokayne given her marching orders against Scotland.
Despite being reduced to 14 players, England thrashed Italy 48-0 and overwhelmed Scotland 46-0.
Reigning champions England, who have won the Six Nations for five successive years, have now recorded 27 consecutive victories in the tournament.
But concerns have been expressed about their discipline, especially with England looking to make amends at the 2025 Women's World Cup after losing the Covid-delayed 2022 final to hosts New Zealand after Lydia Thompson was sent off.
Mitchell, a former head coach of the New Zealand men's team, said his side had to strike a balance between aggression and control ahead of Saturday's match against Ireland at Twickenham.
"I want us to continue to play on the edge, but I also want us to be aware around how we need to change our behaviour," said Mitchell.
"In Amy's incident, she needs to get her head under the ball. Obviously that's something you put the ownership on the individual to change.
"We probably let the pressure off on Scotland. There were a number of times when we had the foot on their throats. We'd rather that turn into attack for us.
"There's some good things we've learned from it, but we're certainly not going to go away from being on the edge.
"It's what drives us. It's what the game's all about and we want to defence into points."
L. Brown--BTZ
