Packer's Four-Try Masterclass Sets Up England's Grand Slam Finale

Marlie Packer was supposed to be fading. At 36, the flanker had lost the England captaincy, slipped down the selection order, and watched younger players like Sadia Kabeya move ahead of her. When England won the World Cup last year, Packer played but barely—she didn't see the field in any knockout match. The natural story would have been a graceful exit. Instead, she signed a contract extension through June 2026 and told anyone who would listen that she felt fitter than ever.

That decision paid off in Parma on Saturday. Against Italy, Packer scored four tries—four—in a 61-33 victory that sent England into next week's Grand Slam decider against France. She earned player-of-the-match honors, the same award she'd claimed the previous week after two tries against Wales. The oldest player in the squad had become impossible to ignore.

What Packer did in those 80 minutes was less about individual brilliance and more about relentless presence. On her opening try, she showed the acceleration to latch onto a kick through. On her fourth, she simply bulldozed through Italian defenders and over the line. In between, she made 92 metres from 14 carries and registered 12 tackles. This wasn't a player coasting on reputation. This was someone who had something to prove.

"My secret weapon is that I am enjoying it and I have a smile back on my face," Packer told BBC Sport. "I am getting the minutes. For the last couple of years, Sadia Kabeya has had the nod over me but fair play, I have my opportunity at the moment and I am enjoying it. I have a smile and there is no pressure." The comment was disarming in its honesty—she wasn't bitter about being passed over, just grateful to be back in the mix.

England's coach John Mitchell understood what was happening. "Marlie doesn't go away, does she?" he said. "After the World Cup she was like, 'Where do I sit?' and I said, 'Marlie, you are one of the best sevens in the country and if you are happy with that, I am happy with that'. She is so determined and she has achieved so much. All the standards that we have now have very much been shaped by the way she leads." Current captain Megan Jones, who had played under Packer, was equally effusive: "She has a never-say-die attitude and is next level."

But the path to Bordeaux is not straightforward. England's 38th consecutive Six Nations victory masks real vulnerabilities. Wales and Italy both scored bonus-point tries—their highest totals ever against the world champions. England missed 15 tackles against Italy alone. Nine of the 13 forwards who played in the World Cup final are unavailable through injury or pregnancy, forcing debuts for replacements like Haidee Head and Christiana Balogun.

France, waiting in Bordeaux at the 42,115-capacity Stade Atlantique, is a different proposition entirely. The French thrashed Scotland on Saturday and remain the last team to beat England in the Six Nations. Last year's Grand Slam decider went to England by a single point—the closest their 37-game winning streak has come to breaking. France scored 42 points in that match. Former England captain Katy Daley-Mclean offered a sober assessment: "England have shown they have the capability of stepping up to that Red Roses shirt, but France is a different place to play. It is a big thing to be able to go to France. It will go one of two ways: the young kids will either thrive or go into their shell."

For Packer, with her contract expiring in June, next Sunday could be a fitting final act—a chance to win her fifth consecutive Grand Slam, to prove that at 36 she remains one of the best in her position, and to show that sometimes the story isn't about fading gracefully. Sometimes it's about refusing to fade at all.