'Until we have that perfect game, no-one will be happy'
They have won 65 of their past 66 matches in total - with only defeat by New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final of 2022 dividing two long stretches of supremacy - and are aiming for an eighth successive Women's Six Nations crown. "If you ask any of the girls, I don't think we've put out a performance that we're super proud of yet," said Bern. "Every week we look at how can we develop our game.
How can we push to have the best attack, the best defence, the best everything. "That might seem like an unattainable goal, but that's in the Red Roses' DNA to keep striving and pushing the barriers. "Until we have that perfect game, I don't think anyone will be happy.
" Bern says England's training is often more intense than their actual matches as they chase their ideal performance. "Our training sessions are not as long, but we try to push above and beyond the standards of a game so that when we get to the game we can problem-solve and figure it out," she added. Bern has scored two tries in each of England's wins over Scotland and Ireland in the opening two rounds of the Six Nations.
She believes adding more try-scoring threats to England's attack can be key to fuelling record crowds in the absence of opposition who can threaten their winning streak. Ten of England's 16 tries in the knockout stages of last year's World Cup came via their forwards as they leaned on the power of their pack and set-piece en route to glory. Lou Meadows, England's attack coach at the time, had had some success with a more expansive gameplan, , external but left her post after the tournament.
Emily Scarratt, the Red Roses' all-time leading points scorer, has since taken up the role. "Where we're trying to evolve to now is being threats from anywhere," said Bern. "We recognise that we won a World Cup, and it was great, but we definitely could have made improvements in our attack.