However, the Red Roses captain is more excited by the start of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations and the return of some of her teammates.
England open their campaign away to Italy at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma with the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year riding a crest of a wave since she succeeded Sarah Hunter as England skipper just under a year ago.
After taking the armband in Round 2 after Hunter ended her international career in Round 1, she led the team to a fourth consecutive Grand Slam. Then came the inaugural WXV1 in New Zealand and another piece of silverware for the Twickenham trophy cabinet, and after that her player of the year gong.
READ THE FANTASY RUGBY GEEK'S GUIDE TO FANTASY 2024
The flanker is now eyeing a fifth consecutive Championship title, a challenge that will be buoyed by the return of an esteemed trio to the squad.
“I’m just more excited about kicking off the tournament,” Packer said at the tournament launch in central London.
“We've all enjoyed that first half of the season, but now we've come together we just want to get the Six Nations kicked off. I just want to get out there and play.
“We've got the likes of Abbie Ward, Emily Scarratt, and Zoe Harrison coming back who we haven't seen since that World Cup final [in November 2022]. Actually, I'm more excited to see them come back than me getting my 100th cap.”
YOUNG FACES
Italy go into the match with their confidence high after winning three matches from three in WXV2, though they narrowly missed claiming the title.
Scotland also won three from three, and due to the nature of the format the Guinness Women's Six Nations rivals didn’t face each other. It meant Scotland claimed the title thanks to a better points difference of +55, compared to Italy’s +53.
The Azzurre will be led by Italy number eight Elisa Giordano, who knows exactly what their aims are. They will try to improve on their 2023 showing which garnered a solitary win, though Giordano is equally aware of the size of the task they face in Round 1.
“Overall, our we want to win as many matches as possible and secure qualification for World Cup,” Giordano said. “The match with England will be a very, very difficult match but we will try to start the tournament as strongly as possible.
“As a nation we are like a diesel engine. We start slowly and then try to improve game by game to finish the tournament stronger than we started, while developing as a team.
“We have lots of young players who will have the chance to show off their talent. They are all young girls and have the chance to do good things for us and show our supporters what they can do in important matches.”
MITCHELL AT THE HELM
John Mitchell will oversee his first Guinness Women's Six Nations campaign after succeeding Simon Middleton in October.
The former New Zealand men’s coach linked up with the Red Roses at WXV1 once his duties as Japan men’s defence coach ended when they exited the France 2023 Rugby World Cup.
He took a very hands-off approach as he got to know his new charges, with his assistant Louis Deacon overseeing most of the preparation. Since then, there has been a training camp at the end of January, and weekly online calls to ensure that the squad are up to speed when the first whistle blows.
“I get on with Mitch really well,” Packer said. “He poses questions. He makes you see the game differently, different from what I've ever seen the game before. It's just really refreshing. He is a really nice guy that brings a lot of character with him as well.
“Going into WXV, the direction of how we wanted to play was still coming from Mitch even though Deacs was leading on everything. He puts the full stops at the end of things. He has the last say, like, 'This is how I want it done, girls'.”
FEMALE FRANCHISES
Italy’s hopes were boosted at the start of the year when the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) created female teams at their United Rugby Championship (URC) representatives, Benetton Treviso and Zebre.
So far, they have played home and away matches against Spanish sides Iberian Valencia and Iberian Sitges, with Benetton winning twice and Zebre winning one and losing the other.
The aim is to provide stiffer competition for players in Italy’s Serie A Elite to help bridge the gap between club and international rugby.
The Azzurre also benefit from several players playing in the English and French leagues. Harlequins' Silvia Turani, ASM Romagnat Rugby’s Francesca Sgorbini, Ealing Trailfinders Women’s Sara Seye, Sale Sharks' Sara Tounesi and Beatrice Rigoni, have all developed after playing in more intense surrounds, with Italy coach Giovanni Raineri aware that “everyone wants to talk about Beatrice Rigoni".
“The project of creating two women’s franchises is very new and only just implemented, but they are a very, very important step,” Giordano said. “The idea is to play with them in a cross-border tournament, and they will definitely help the national team improve.
“Playing overseas is a way of raising the level of players in Italy. Those players who have gone abroad have brought a lot of experience for us.”
WINNING CULTURE
Packer is well aware that England’s ability to continue to develop has meant that they are the team being pursued.
She is also aware that while she may be approaching her one-year anniversary as the Red Roses captain, it is not a position she can take for granted.
“I've learned a lot in this last year that I never thought I'd learn,” she said. “I take my hat off to Sarah Hunter, because I think I've had a lot more support than maybe she did.
“For me, it's not just about the rugby, it's about the person, it's about the player. We get those two things right and they perform on the pitch.”
