I was really happy to get back out in an England shirt last weekend against Italy. It was nice going up to York for the first time and taking rugby up there because it’s one of the Rugby World Cup 2025 venues. It was nice to get a taste of what some of the crowds might be like come August.
I took on more of a leadership role this week in the lineout and had that responsibility, which I really enjoyed. We knew Italy were going to throw a few spanners in the works but it was a solid first performance from us with a lot to work on going into Wales week.
Lilli Ives Campion made her first start on the weekend and she had a really solid performance. She’s integrated into the group really well, both on and off the field. She’s a bit of a TikToker with Maddie Feaunati and Sarah Bern, and then she gets her head down with rugby, carries hard and hits hard and she should be really happy with how she played on the weekend.
‘This Energy Never Stops’ – Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
Flo Robinson has also been back in the mix after missing out on her first cap opportunity due to the floodlights failing in France a few years ago. It was great to have her on the pitch and for her to get her first cap. When she’s off the pitch, she’s quite a quiet girl, but as soon as she’s on the pitch, I’d probably liken her to a little Jack Russell Terrier, that typical nine, trying to cause a nuisance.
There were a few times in the match where we paused for TMO decisions – there will be times where that does happen, but we’ve spoken about how we can challenge ourselves as the Red Roses to bring the tempo back into the game ourselves rather than relying on other people.
York was really pretty, we were lucky with the weather, it didn’t rain too much while we were there. On the first journey for the team run we had Maud’s [Muir] tour of York – she took over the mic on the bus and everyone was sending in facts about York. It made for a funny journey – she made a joke about how York is supposedly haunted, and mentioned Ilona Mahahaher being a ghost in the USA Nails shop, which was quite a funny one that came out of that.
Maud is usually the tour guide on the way there, and then Hannah Botterman is in charge of the songs on the way back. We all try and build a home-from-home vibe in camp and make it our own, it was a really good trip. It was a nice way to get the tournament started and good to get back and get as much recovery in as we can with a six-day turnaround.
Another moment from York that was great personally was that I got to see my cousins for the first time in over 10 years. They live in Yorkshire so it was nice to go and see them in their home county. It was lovely to have my mum’s side of the family there and embracing the journey that I’ve been on. The fact that we can take the game up to York and sell out there puts us in really good stead for the World Cup.
John Mitchell names the teams in two-week blocks, so we know the teams for two games at a time. It takes away a bit of anxiety for the Monday morning selection meetings. It also gives you the knowledge that if you’re not playing in the first but are in the second, you can really go hard in the first week to prepare well for your match week.
Mitch has instilled a bit of transparency into that and given people the opportunity on their game day. Every time you’re not playing, Mitch will sit down and have a 1-1 with you to make sure you know what you’re working on and where you stand. He’s also always open-armed in terms of if you ever have anything to ask, he’s always there.
I didn’t find the transition from the PWR Final back to England camp too difficult. When you’re back at Sarries, you put your Sarries hat on. It was a bit confusing learning the different lineouts for each team, but actually, when we got back into Sarries, all the focus was on that for the week.
It felt like we started our Six Nations campaign a week early with the level of rugby that was played in the final. When we got back into camp, there wasn’t too much banter between us and the Gloucester girls, apart from the photos of them celebrating in the hot tub – but we congratulated them and they were very good winners in that sense, and we got on with the next job.
Next up is Wales at the Principality, which will be our first time playing there. Wales are a really emotional side, and although we want to embrace the occasion, we don’t want to bring too much of our own emotions with us – we want to play the game.
We’re focused on making sure we go out there and put our best foot forward. We know a few of their threats and how we’re going to nullify them, but at the same time, we’re mainly focusing on ourselves and our growth.
Getting the first game of a big year under our belts is massive. We’ve spoken about 2025 since 2022. Being in 2025 and getting closer to that World Cup is important, but for us it’s actually about staying in the here and now, being present, and there’s a lot of rugby to be played between now and the World Cup.
