The first box kick of the 2021 Six Nations has yet to be hoisted but England’s defence coach, John Mitchell, already believes the defending champions are destined to reach great heights. The former All Blacks head coach has agreed an extended contract until the end of 2023 and is backing Eddie Jones’s side to achieve “special things” between now and then. Mitchell has coached around the world over the past 25 years but rarely has the 56-year-old sounded more effusive about a team’s medium‑term outlook. Coping with the challenge of Scotland at Twickenham on Saturday is everyone’s current priority but Mitchell is adamant the sky is now the limit for Jones’s still-maturing squad. “For me this side has so much more potential,” said Mitchell, who joined Jones’s staff in September 2018. “We don’t realise, I don’t think, how much better we can get. When we reach our potential, we have the ability to win and do well.” Just over two decades ago Mitchell rejected the chance to stay on as England’s forwards coach after the 1999 Rugby World Cup, opting to return to New Zealand rather than continue to work with Clive Woodward’s squad who went on to win the World Cup in 2003. This time he has decided to stay put and pour all his energy into helping Jones to steer England to glory in France in 2023. “When I was here 20 years ago I had the chance to stay on and I probably went back to New Zealand too early. But the reasons were to take children back to their grandparents. This time I’m in a position where it just feels right to continue. “I really like the mix of experience and youth that is coming through. They give off a really good energy and there’s a willingness to want to get better. That’s what you want to be around. I really feel we have the potential to do some special things here.” The England flanker Tom Curry feels similarly – “There is definitely a feeling that something’s growing” – on the eve of a championship campaign like no other. The French government has now formally given the green light to France’s participation, however, and confirmed visiting teams will also not be subject to quarantine restrictions, with exemptions granted on condition the players are tested every three days and stay in a closed “bubble”. As with every other squad England also face significantly stricter Covid-19 protocols within their training camp for the next seven weeks. The players have been warned that, despite the wintry chill, they will only be permitted to socialise outdoors – although heaters, fire pits, open-sided tents, table tennis and outdoor chess have been laid on. “It’s like Love Island without the weather,” the full-back Elliot Daly reported. “There are comfy chairs and we’ve got blankets and gloves in case we want to stay out until the bitter end. “There are also different areas where you can go to try and shield from the wind. It’s the only way we can socialise properly as a team. It’s nice to have that otherwise it would be training, lunch, dinner and then bed. “We thought things were strict during the last campaign in November. Now it’s gone to a different level. But it’s what’s needed to play at the weekend so we have to get on with it.”