The Breakdown | Mitchell’s Six Nations conundrum: who will be Red Roses’ next Abby Dow?

World champions have a large try-scoring hole to fill and a rejigged side searching for eighth title win in a row

How do you solve a problem like replacing Abby Dow? Yes, it is a different take on the Sound of Music song but it is a fiendish question to answer. The Red Roses winger retired after the Rugby World Cup, leaving a try-scoring hole in the world champions’ squad, whose next task is to try to win their eighth straight Women’s Six Nations title. And so while Julie Andrews’ character realised she was not a problem after all, the England head coach, John Mitchell, is left with a selection headache before his team start their campaign against Ireland on Saturday.

Dow scored 50 tries in 59 caps, with her lightning pace a key characteristic to her game. She retired to pursue a career in engineering and her boots are large ones to fill. The issue, though, is not that there are no contenders to take on the jersey, it is more of who the Red Roses will select.