MEGAN JONES will “live by the sword, die by the sword” after vowing to remain true to herself following her promotion to England captain.

Jones takes over from World Cup winning skipper Zoe Stratford, who is expecting her first child, and will lead the Red Roses into their Six Nations opener against Ireland at Twickenham Stadium on April 11.

The 29-year-old enjoyed a stellar 2025 by starting 12 of England’s 13 games, including the World Cup final victory over Canada in September, and being shortlisted for world player of the year.

But she has faced significant adversity while reaching the top after both of her parents died in 2024 at a time when she was recovering from a serious ankle injury.

When asked to describe her leadership style, Jones said: “Pretty crazy, impulsive — all the characteristics you probably wouldn’t want!

“Nah, I’m authentic. I’m me, I’m Meg. I have high standards for myself, I have high integrity. I live by the sword, die by the sword.

“I’d do anything for the team, I’d do anything for them to win, to feel themselves and keep pushing us in the right direction.

“It’s a huge honour for me and I’m immensely proud to be taking the armband. I’ve worked with Zoe and all the leadership girls before anyway so nothing really changes.”

Jones inherits a side that is in the midst of a 33-match winning run and is chasing an eighth consecutive Six Nations title.

To sharpen the focus after replacing New Zealand as global champions six months ago, head coach John Mitchell has set his players the goal of becoming “one of the greatest sporting teams ever.”

Speaking at the competition’s launch in central London, Jones said: “We always want to win. We’re a competitive team, winning on winning is what we thrive on and we want to keep doing that.

“We also want to keep breaking boundaries as much as we can, raising the floor, making sure we’re competing at the highest level.

“We could potentially be the first men or women’s team to win a Six Nations after winning a World Cup, so that’s definitely a challenge we’re going to go after.

“We want everyone to stay competitive within the team but also feel safe and feel like they can be brave within the team as well.”