John Mitchell insists his rampaging Red Roses side still have another area of their game to unlock despite being on the cusp of a consecutive WXV title.

England head into a winner-takes-all clash against hosts Canada in Vancouver on Sunday armed with a 19-match winning streak which has been underscored by their devastating attacking game.

When Mitchell took the reins of the world’s No 1 side a little over a year ago, he claimed the Red Roses were a “good” team that he wanted to make “great”. He inherited a collective that had set a blueprint in the women’s game with its robust set-piece, but one that was found wanting when it came to broken-field rugby.

England have built on the Six Nations Grand Slam they won this year with back-to-back wins over world champions New Zealand this season and have another WXV title within their sights – but Mitchell says there are still things to work on.

“We’ve still got another gear to go,” said Mitchell, when asked about his team’s progress. “We’re moving along nicely. So basically, for what we’re fighting for, what we live for and how we act is all moving in the right direction.

“It’s clear that we win often, and there’s goodness in that, real goodness. But also, the problem with winning often is that you sometimes don’t focus on the problems.

“The great thing about our environment is that we have got to a point where both player and coach are very, very comfortable in talking and challenging and resolving problems, because unless you do that as a team like us, then you won’t move forward.”

Westcombe-Evans in for Dow

A good marker of the Red Roses’ improvement under the New Zealander has been the potency and cohesion of their back three. Having started all but one of England’s 10 Tests this calendar year, Ellie Kildunne, Abby Dow and Jess Breach have become the Red Roses’ most reliable attacking unit.

Mitchell is not a man who likes rotation – he prefers what he terms “team mix” – but with Dow still completing her return-to-play concussion protocols, his hand has been forced for his side’s WXV decider with Canada, who are also unbeaten after wins over France and Ireland.

It means Bo Westcombe-Evans has been drafted in for her second Test start on the wing, completing an otherwise unchanged backline alongside Kildunne and Breach.

“She’s got a very good outside break,” Mitchell said of the Loughborough Lightning player. “She’s elusively quick. She also has a fend, so that’s what I like. If she gets one-on-one, she’s very capable of beating people.”

On paper, Canada should represent a stern test. They are a collective who remain fully amateur but routinely punch above their weight in the women’s game, having defeated New Zealand to win a maiden Pacific Four series title last May to jump to second in the world rankings.

“We’re full-time professionals with the RFU but they do a lot of their training off their own backs and because they are very driven individuals,” said Marlie Packer, the England captain. “They’re very athletic, some of them are great rugby players, and you put them together with confidence, that’s the Canada side that we’re seeing at the moment.”