How can teams challenge Grand Slam winners England?

England cruised to victory complete France successful Bordeaux to unafraid their 3rd consecutive Women's Six Nations Grand Slam and sixth title successful a row.

John Mitchell's broadside scored 270 points and conceded conscionable 41 successful 1 of nan astir ascendant Six Nations campaigns successful caller years.

The consequence intends nan Red Roses extended their grounds winning streak successful nan title to 29 games.

With England seemingly getting amended arsenic they build towards a location World Cup adjacent year, is nan deficiency of competitory matches a problem for nan championship?

And really do nan different nations spell astir closing nan gap?

BBC Sport has looked astatine nan advancement of nan rival teams eager to trial England's resoluteness successful early seasons.

Lauren McCann, BBC Sport NI

Ireland enjoyed a vastly improved run and look to beryllium connected an upward trajectory nether caller coach Scott Bemand aft wins complete Wales and Scotland.

The 2013 and 2015 champions rounded disconnected a memorable run pinch a gritty triumph complete Scotland successful Belfast. This saw them leap from 5th to 3rd successful nan last array and unafraid WXV1 and World Cup qualification.

In August 2022, nan Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said it would connection 43 master women's contracts to 15s and sevens players that would "range up to 30,000 euro positive lucifer fees and bonuses".

But 8 Ireland players turned down contracts because of nan stipulation that they must play their rugby successful Ireland and only 10 15-a-side players signed deals.

This intends a immense mostly of Ireland's squad are playing astatine a little modular successful nan caller Celtic Challenge and for their provinces successful interpros, compared to those who turned down contracts to play successful nan Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR).

Ireland's improvement should besides beryllium aided by nan assignment of David Humphreys arsenic nan IRFU's caller capacity head to switch David Nucifora astatine nan extremity of nan season.

WXV1 promotion will bring caller challenges and a higher calibre of opposition, but it should thief proceed nan team's improvement and turn nan game.

The 88-10 thrashing astatine Twickenham shows that Ireland still person a agelong measurement to go, but pinch young players specified arsenic Aoife Wafer and Katie Corrigan, who person showed existent committedness this campaign, location is dream that Ireland tin emergence to nan challenge.

Andy Burke, BBC Sport Scotland

A first victory connected Welsh ungraded successful 20 years, a first triumph successful Italy successful 25 years, and pushing nan world number 3 French broadside to nan ligament successful conclusion each showed that Scotland are moving successful nan correct direction, and building connected past year’s victorious WXV2 run successful South Africa.

The 46-0 trouncing astatine nan hands of England was a large dose of reality, however, arsenic to wherever Scotland are erstwhile measured against nan world's best.

Scotland's female internationals were first awarded master contracts by nan national little than 18 months ago, truthful to expect them to adjacent specified a gulf to 1 of nan game's powerhouses successful that timeframe is unrealistic.

The backing for women's rugby will continue, but pinch Scottish Rugby posting a £10.5m nonaccomplishment successful their past accounts – nan adjacent group of accounts could good overgarment an moreover bleaker image – it remains to beryllium seen whether nan women's crippled will use from immoderate notable summation to their fund for nan foreseeable future.

The preamble of Glasgow and Edinburgh women's teams to compete successful nan Celtic Challenge has been a invited move forward, opening up a level of title for promising young talent that antecedently did not exist.

Punching supra their weight is nan goal, but nan roadworthy towards challenging nan genuinely elite of nan women's crippled will beryllium a agelong one.

Ceri Coleman-Phillips, BBC Sport Wales

Despite enduring a WXV1 whitewash successful nan autumn, Wales were assured of closing nan spread connected England and France successful this campaign.

They now had 32 professionally contracted players and a ample contingent of Gloucester-Hartpury players making up their squad.

Things would surely click. But nan results that followed - 4 defeats earlier a melodramatic triumph complete Italy - proved a sobering reminder of nan spread that still exists betwixt Wales and nan world's apical teams.

Head coach Ioan Cunningham said nan problem ran overmuch deeper than connected nan transportation and a semipermanent solution would beryllium having a competitory home convention successful Wales, alternatively than relying connected nan PWR title successful England to create Welsh talent.

One solution that has been suggested is Wales entering its ain squad successful nan PWR, thing that is supported by nan skipper Hannah Jones.

The Celtic Challenge has brought done caller talent, nan likes of Gwennan Hopkins and Catherine Richards.

Wales tin beryllium encouraged by nan reinstatement of world pathways, and nan under-18 and under-20 sides are doing awesome things, pinch erstwhile Wales skipper Siwan Lillicrap progressive successful nan coaching.

There is besides a £3m backing cookware from nan British and Irish Lions which will thief bring successful much coaches and resources.

Back successful 2018, France were nan past squad different than England to triumph nan Six Nations and Saturday's 21-point conclusion by their rivals showed nan spread astatine nan apical is widening.

Prior to nan crippled successful Bordeaux, France had mislaid by only a people successful 3 of their past 4 title meetings pinch nan Red Roses.

A one-off crippled whitethorn not connection excessively overmuch concern, but 13 defeats successful their past 13 games against England paints a akin trend.

Unlike nan different nations, France stay ascendant astatine age-group level and defeated England Under-20s 74-0 conscionable this month.

The French home convention will besides alteration adjacent play from a two-pool format and 12 teams to 10 sides pinch 1 pool, which should thief to boost competitiveness.

Bringing talent done will stay their apical privilege complete nan coming years, pinch a triumph complete England needed to debar a increasing intelligence artifact against their rivals.

Before nan 2023 Six Nations, Italy announced 22 master contracts had been fixed retired to their players.

Since past only 2 wins complete Ireland person followed; however, location was affirmative advancement successful this run successful a resilient first half against England – wherever they only conceded 10 points - and their triumph distant against Ireland.

The mostly of nan squad play nine rugby astatine home, pinch 4 players playing successful nan PWR.

Centre Beatrice Rigoni and guardant Sara Tounesi are astatine Sale Sharks, versatile guardant Silvia Turani plays for Harlequins and prop Sara Seye turns retired for Ealing Trailfinders.

This has helped to raise nan master standards of their nationalist team, and much of nan aforesaid will thief to bring further improvements.