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'There is genuinely no better feeling than playing at the home of English rugby'
The anthem last weekend will be one to remember. We saw sun, rain, and hail, and faced blistering winds singing God Save the King. Some people would be negatively affected by this, but for us, it was definitely a ‘fire up’ moment.
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I really enjoyed going back to The Hive. I enjoy playing on astroturf as I think it suits the way I play. I am seen as a ‘mobile’ second row, so being able to get around the park and play fast rugby is beneficial to my game.
What made it even better this time round was the sold-out crowd that attended the fixture. Come rain or shine, they were there singing in full force and getting behind their team. They definitely brought the drama when it came to big referee decisions…
The game was all about adapting and that’s something that we are really good at. In training, we are given scenarios and our leaders make decisions on how to play based on these. We received two yellow cards on the weekend but we weren’t flustered by it.
We kept calm, controlled the game and followed our processes. Alongside this, we tightened up our game, altered our lineout plan and made sure to leave the breakdown to have numbers on feet in defence.
After the game, we celebrated in the changing room. We have an award called ‘Courage, Bond, Lead’ which are the Red Roses values. Holly Aitchison won the Silver Rose this week for her dominant defensive effort and for controlling the game in difficult circumstances.
We also celebrated Mo Hunt’s 70th cap. Mo has been incredible since her heartbreak of missing out on World Cup selection. She is such a bubbly, caring person and always has a smile on her face. She is a pivotal player in the squad both on and off the pitch.
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This week the highlight of camp was our Italian-themed dinner on Tuesday night. We walked into the team room which had received a ‘glow up’ and was made to look like an Italian restaurant.
We had fresh bread with balsamic vinegar and oil (a team favourite), bruschetta, croquettes and cold meats, followed by an array of pasta dishes and an ice cream machine. The fact I have described my dinner shows how much I enjoyed it. I was one happy girl going to bed last night.
It’s Murder on the Dancefloor… oh no it’s the Red Roses at Twickenham Stadium! Last year we had the Sugababes, this year we’ve levelled up and have Sophie Ellis-Bextor as the halftime act. I recently spent the afternoon at Twickenham filming the promotional videos for the announcement and have been humming the tune ever since!
I know I’ve said this before but there is genuinely no better feeling than playing at the home of English rugby, but to be able to do it in front of over 45,000 is even better.
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The way Ireland played last weekend against Wales has created a buzz in the air about our upcoming fixture. They have started to piece together some extended passages of play and have some standout individuals who have become well-known in the tournament.
One of the players who has caught our attention is Aoife Wafer who has been incredibly important in Ireland’s attack. She has the ability to carry hard in close quarters as well as break the line in wider channels. She will be one to watch this weekend.
For many of the England girls, it’s exciting to play against our old backs coach, Scott Beamand. Scott was involved in many trophies with the Red Roses over the years, so I’m sure he has taken some of the things he learnt from his success with him.
Our task is to break his structure down, see how quickly we can affect their pattern of play and put pressure on players who haven’t yet been pressured in the tournament.
If you haven’t been to a women’s game before, this is the perfect time to do it. Get behind the Red Roses and join us at Twickenham on Saturday at 14.15 where we take on Ireland in the fourth round of the Women’s Six Nations.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
3 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments