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John Mitchell is in for a big weekend. He turns 60 on Saturday and the next day he takes charge of his first women's Six Nations match as England head coach. Can the all-seeing Kiwi take them to the next level? The union between the bespectacled former All Blacks head coach and an ambitious group of Red Roses from another generation is certainly intriguing.
Because when the Rugby Football Union chose not to install a Sarina Wiegman-like figure to host the Women's World Cup on home soil next year, not everyone was happy. Even Mitchell believes the days of men leading women's programs are numbered - "The future will definitely be a female coach" - and the appointment of England's Jo Yapp to the top job in Australia has reignited the whole debate.
Related: Women's Six Nations: Scarratt returns to the England squad with new faces
On the one hand, hiring the well-traveled Mitchell makes a lot of sense. He was just 37 when he became coach of the All Blacks in 2001 and his CV included stints with the England men under Clive Woodward and Eddie Jones. Few coaches, male or female, have a better global understanding - "My record speaks for itself in terms of winning Test matches and I know this arena like the back of my hand" - of high performance institutions. So when Mitchell suggests he was "probably further along in dealing with pressure" than other candidates, he has the scar tissue to prove it. "If you've been close to the pinnacle of the game... I've taken some gold nuggets from that."
Still, for some, naming a male supremo at this high-profile moment was akin to overlooking Taylor Swift and asking Status Quo to headline. Mitchell is no Swiftie and when he sang his team initiation song, there were no Dua Lipa dance moves either. "I've used Wonderwall from Oasis before, but this time it was Molly Malone. Often you try to rush back to your seat, but once I could see that I was connected, I walked down the middle of the bus and put more emphasis on the chorus...'
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There's a lot more to international coaching than confident karaoke, but Mitchell also has a lot more to offer than people think. In his recent book, Danny Cipriani's memorable description - "Tall, bald as a coot and with different colored eyes, like David Bowie" - was accompanied by a sensational story about a social Sale team after a win over London Irish. 'Towards the end of the evening I try to judo roll John into one of those big food bins you see behind restaurants. Funnily enough, he loves that."
That was then. Today "Mitch" lives quietly in Surrey with his South African wife Julie, supports Woking FC, prefers to put on his glasses for photos, enjoys listening to London Grammar and is at his happiest - "That's my peaceful place" - barbecuing in his backyard. A grim episode in 2010, when he was stabbed in the thigh and upper arm by an intruder in his Johannesburg home, clearly led to a reappraisal of his priorities in life. Formerly shared a flat with teammate Warren Gatland. "Maybe in the men's game - and I fell into the trap in my younger playing days - as a man you have to adopt a certain mental state. There's a game coming up and you mean it.'
The whole mental side of the sport fascinates him more and more. His Australian-based daughter is a psychologist in Perth, while his son, Daryl, has become a standout New Zealand Test cricketer. However, as a coach it has taken time to become more empathetic. "My leadership was quite direct. It was the powerful truth. I wasn't afraid to make tough decisions. When I look back on a lot of them, I think they were the right decisions. But could I have worded those decisions better? Yes."
However, those old competitive fires are still smoldering. And amid the self-deprecating references to his old-fashioned cauliflower ears - "One looks like a kidney, the other is a dried apricot" - it quickly becomes clear that he believes gender has little influence on coaching effectiveness. "I try to deal with people. Everyone keeps wondering: what are the differences between coaching men and women? I don't need to know the differences. I just have to deal with what's in front of me. And then respond to that. If the context is something I understand, I will certainly have a strong opinion. If not, I listen, watch and ask questions."
Mitchell has subsequently gathered his own first-hand insights, along with his assistants Louis Deacon, Lou Meadows and Sarah Hunter, having already spent time with the Red Roses in last year's WXV competition. Disappointment, he thinks, may last longer for some female players, but in other areas they leave the men behind. "These women are extremely driven, but I love the way they can be themselves. These girls can have joy and fun. But then, suddenly, they just turn on the switch. As long as we keep that balance, I'm fine with it."
In reality, England have nothing to fear in this Six Nations having collected the past five consecutive titles, but Mitchell is keen to implement a more flexible approach, among other things. "In top sport you have to prepare for the worst case. Maybe we didn't do that at the last World Cup."
Moreover, he wants his team to set the bar high. "The potential of this side is enormous. We have been a very good team, but we want to be an excellent team. As good as we have been in the Six Nations, how do we do that? [win a World Cup] what we haven't done in 11 years? We must climb that peak successfully. And we still need to fill the top tier of green seats at Twickenham. This team has a fantastic identity but is still on its way to becoming fully immersed in English rugby culture."
In summary, there is a hint of the Heston Blumenthals about Mitchell as he prepares to apply a metaphorical blowtorch to the England women's game and erase the memories of his abrupt departure from Jones' England men's camp in July 2021. a point where I couldn't give Eddie 24‑7 anymore. Actually, I just woke up, 57 years old, and I thought, 'I appreciate things differently, I have to stand up for myself.' Ultimately, you have to respond to the way a head coach works and his leadership. If you don't fit in there, you have to be honest."
His varied coaching journey, he suggests, has also opened his eyes to 'my blind spots'. What could they be? "When your ego gets in the way and you don't remain open and aware." Okay, does he think he'll be the last male Red Roses head coach? "No, I didn't notice that. I'm not here for just one term either." So when could a woman take control? "The timing will be right at some point. It just depends on when that is. At the end of the day, it's still about making sure the girls have the right capabilities to play the game we want, and making sure they have the right behavior. It's still about tactical clarity. No matter how people try to create a separation between the two, you still come back to the main ingredients."
England's women may have found the catalyst - regardless of gender - to make their elusive World Cup dream come true.
