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Packer’s gritty leadership shores up nervy England at just the right time | Sarah Rendell

Red Roses captain pivotal in quelling French revival and winning her first Six Nations title since taking the roleRibcages shook as the baseline dropped. Boom. Boom. Boom. The vibrations matched the march of the teams coming out. Fireworks blasted red and white into the sky and Taylor Swift’s familiar voice sang: “Are you ready for it?” The world record crowd definitely were and it is a good job Twickenham does not have a roof or it would need repairing as these teams are used to breaking the glass ceiling.England rugby’s reputation needed some patching at their home, given that the last time a team frequented this grass the men were booed off after being destroyed by France in March. If...

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The 2022 women’s Six Nations can be the start of something special | Ali Donnelly

England will be big favourites but the tournament can flourish in a separate window from the men’s competitionA debate that has raged for years will come to an end this weekend. The Women’s Six Nations finally has a permanent window in the calendar, and with it comes a chance to forge its own identity, removing its grip from the coattails of the men’s championship, a reliance which was once vital but had started to suffocate.As the women’s competition continued to grow in popularity both with live crowds and TV audiences, bumping up against men’s and under-20s fixtures – all vying for broadcast slots and favourable kick-off times over the same spring weekends – had become untenable. And while the change...

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