BORDEAUX, France -- An emotional John Mitchell has said the Red Roses can stake a claim to be one of the best English sporting sides of all time following their eighth-straight Women's Six Nations title.
England overcame a spirited French outfit in Bordeaux to win the Grand Slam decider 43-28.
The tournament also came off the back of last year's World Cup success and made Mitchell's side the first English rugby team, men's or women's, to win back-to-back Grand Slams either side of a World Cup.
Asked if the side could claim to be one of England's best across any sport, an emotional Mitchell held back tears as he said: "I think we must be pretty close.
"Again, it's nice for people to talk about us in that way, I just think what's more important to us morally is the values that we live.
"The girls are crackers. They're brave. They take no s---. They're just so driven. That's what makes them so good. It's very easy for me to fit into that [environment]."
The head coach also praised their desire to improve and keep chasing success.
"I think ... It was fantastic to win a World Cup at home, and you never forget that," he said.
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"But we're in a new cycle. No English team, men's or women's, has ever gone back-to-back after a World Cup. Not that we're driven by outcome, but we wanted to be very intentional around winning on winning."
Captain Meg Jones echoed Mitchell's sentiments and praised her side for their resilience as they won the tournament amid a mountain of injuries and absences.
"It just shows the mental resilience in this group," Jones said.
"We had a few doubters ... Outside noise and that's natural. Particularly when you're at the top. You always have a target on your back.
"We want that and we want the chase as well. We want to play competitively and show up each week."
