Hunter’s side launched the defence of their title in style by beating Scotland 76-0 only for defeats to eventual champions Ireland and then France to rule them out of the running.

The Red Rose returned to form against Italy last weekend and can still claim second spot in the table should they win handsomely against Wales.

And while Hunter admits England’s character has been tested in this year’s competition the Lichfield flanker is certain they have emerged a stronger side.

“It’s certainly been a bit of a rollercoaster,” she said.

“Obviously, we started off quite well against Scotland and then our performances against Ireland and France weren’t performances that we were proud of.

“France was better than Ireland in terms of we did improve slightly, but we knew there was a lot more within us and it was really nice to see that ourselves as a squad could actually come out and start playing how we knew we could do against Italy.

“That was really pleasing and it shows how much we’ve grown as a squad.

“I think we had the belief within ourselves about our ability as individuals and collectively. We spoke a lot in the run up to Italy about actually going out there and having the intent, turning up and believing that we can compete.

“We are able players and we needed to show that, and I think that showed through, especially in the first half.”