27 Sep Playing to win: What we can learn about resilient teams from the Red Roses

On Saturday, 80,000 fans packed Twickenham to watch England beat Canada in the final of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. It was an historic moment for the sport, and a fitting stage for a squad that has come to embody resilience.

For the players, it was one of the most intense emotional experiences of their lives. For me – as someone who has long worked with high performers in both sport and business – it’s a unique opportunity to reflect on what we can learn from this extraordinary team.

Trust first, performance second

Resilience starts long before kick-off. The Roses won because they had already built success within a culture that values players first as great people, then as great performers – a foundation that protects against the cracks that pressure can expose. In high-stakes moments, when trust breaks down, performance often follows. But when trust is strong, teams can stay composed and work together when it matters most.

The same applies in business. Investing early in relationships and shared purpose means that when pressure moments arrive, teams are better able to stay focused, unified, and resilient.

There is an I in team

I’ve always been wary of the old cliché that “there’s no I in team.” In reality, there is – because every person brings their own identity, skills, and strengths. What made this England side special was that each player had permission to perform at their best while also carrying the responsibility to help others succeed. Mistakes didn’t derail progress because support was instinctive.

For business leaders, this is a powerful lesson. Resilient teams are those where individuals are both confident in what they bring and committed to helping colleagues thrive.

Structure and freedom

Like all top rugby teams, the Red Roses showed once again that they thrive on the balance between structure and freedom. In set pieces – scrums and line-outs – every role is defined to the smallest detail. But once the game opened up, players adapted, improvised, and covered space in unexpected ways.

Business teams need the same. Clarity of role gives people confidence in their unique contribution, but they also need the resilience to adjust quickly when circumstances change. The best leaders set clear expectations while creating an environment where stepping beyond the job description is encouraged when the moment demands it.

Performance intelligence, not perfectionism

A powerful idea from applied performance psychology is performance intelligence: the ability to recognise how your physical, psychological, and emotional state affects performance, and then adapt accordingly.

Perfectionism, by contrast, makes teams brittle. One mistake, and confidence collapses. Performance intelligence makes them resilient, turning mistakes into data rather than disasters. The Roses demonstrated this throughout the tournament. When plans broke down, they didn’t panic. They reset, adapted, and tried again.

As Mitchell himself said in an interview, “We are never going to be perfect, but to win this tournament you don’t have to be perfect. We need to trust what we’ve built”. That trust delivered results.

In business, performance intelligence is the skill to assess, adjust, and respond to the unexpected – whether it’s a project delay, shifting client demands, or a market shock. Leaders should encourage teams to build their own repertoire of responses, so resilience rests not on rigid planning but on flexible capability.

Playing to win

There’s a big difference between playing to win and playing not to lose. This England team played to win. They took smart risks, knew mistakes would happen, but trusted they could recover in the moment – and that approach carried them to victory.

This mindset is central to resilience. Progress doesn’t depend on avoiding errors, but on moving on quickly and finding another way.

In business, too many teams fall into the trap of risk-aversion – focusing on preventing mistakes rather than pursuing opportunities. Resilient organisations understand that setbacks are part of progress. The key is to see them as fuel for forward momentum, not as failure. A ‘playing to win’ mindset creates teams that are courageous, innovative, and able to sustain performance under pressure.

Resilience starts at the top

No resilient team exists without leadership that sets the right tone. England coach John Mitchell embodies calm, pragmatic authority. He reinforces a learning mindset, keeps the focus on the collective, and shows consistent respect for both his players and the opposition.

That respect is paired with competitive edge. As Magic Johnson once put it: “I hope you do well, I just hope I do better.” It’s a mindset Mitchell instilled in this team – humility with ambition, and the belief that resilience would carry them through the biggest stage of all.

In business, the same principle applies. Teams mirror the emotional climate at the top. Leaders who remove ego, create psychological safety, and reward learning as much as results empower their people to adapt and grow. Resilient teams don’t happen by chance – they reflect the example their leaders set.

Key takeaways

In victory, the Red Roses showed us what truly resilient teams look like under pressure –  and gave women’s sport a moment that will inspire for years to come:

• Trust is the foundation: Value people first, performance second.
• Balance the ‘I’ and the ‘we’: Combine individual confidence with collective responsibility.
• Combine structure with freedom: Clear roles plus the flexibility to adapt when the game changes.
• Favour performance intelligence over perfectionism: Treat mistakes as data, not disasters.
• Play to win and recover fast: Resilience is built on the ability to reset straight after setbacks.
• Resilience starts at the top: Teams reflect the tone and example of their leaders.

Written by Dr. Austin Swain
Austin co-founded leadership consultancy Lane4 in 1995 after lecturing in Sports Psychology at Loughborough University. With a PhD in performance psychology, he has worked as lead sport psychologist for England Rugby and mentored Olympic coaches. Now part of Fieri, his focus is on cultural change, workforce transformation, and leadership development.