WOMEN'S ENGLAND RUGBY PLAYERS
We wanted to give you the ultimate lowdown on some past and present women’s England Rugby players. Take a look at our who’s who guide to some key household names within the England Rugby women’s set up.
Rocky Clark MBE
It’s only right to kick things off with England’s most capped rugby player – Rocky Clark. Rocky has been involved in 137 games for England Rugby, making her the most capped male or female player to date! Clark made her England debut in 2003, and has since gone on to be awarded an MBE for her services to rugby. She is a member of the front row crew, playing prop.
When the tour guide at Twickenham Stadium asks the group “who is the most capped @EnglandRugby player?” No surprise that most people in the group said “Jason Leonard”!! I took great satisfaction in correcting them, “I think you’ll find it’s @RockyClark_1” 🌹 #legend
— Gemma Rowland (@rowgem) August 6, 2021
Katy Daley-McLean MBE
After a long career, England’s fly-half Katy Daley-McLean made the tough decision to call time on her international career last December. Katy captained the England squad to victory in the 2014 World Cup final against Canada. She was recently appointed Women’s Performance Lead at Sale Sharks; in her role she will play a part in overhauling the women’s team management ahead of the new season.
Emily Scarratt MBE
Scarratt currently plays for Loughborough Lightning, and recently captained the England team in the women’s Six Nations final against France. The quality of her talent is reflected by her receiving the prestigious accolade of the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year award in 2019. Scarratt is well known for securing the winning try against Canada in the nail-biting 2014 World Cup Final and is often referenced as one of the best players globally.
Poppy Cleall
Poppy is one half of the infamous rugby-playing Cleall twins. Cleall made her England debut in 2016. As a player with high versatility, you will see her switching positions between second row, flanker and number eight. At 29 years old, she currently has 47 caps; with her skill and drive we just know this will grow!
Shaunagh Brown
Shaunagh currently plays prop for Harlequins and was an instrumental part of the team’s success in the 2021 Premier 15s final. Before turning her hand to rugby, the Red Rose was a gas engineer, qualified commercial diver, and a firefighter – Shaunagh has quite a CV and we are here for it! She is well known for her epic post-match interview which has us all in floods of tears:
Shaunagh Brown summing up how it feels to work hard all year for something and to achieve what you wanted 🏆
— The Rugby Paper (@TheRugbyPaper) May 30, 2021
A post-match interview full of elation from the Harlequins prop, a Six Nations and Premier 15s champion in 2021pic.twitter.com/P2TJkP33JP
Hannah Botterman
Botterman began playing rugby when she was just four years old. She was one of 28 players to be offered a full-time England contract in 2019. Considered a key component of the England Rugby set up, Botts is almost always included in the squad. She has recently signed a long-term deal to play at Saracens.
Meg Jones
Meg is one of the younger players on the squad, and at the age of 24 has already achieved so much. She recently co-captained the England Sevens team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal in a tense semi-final against Fiji. In her spare time, she is part of the women’s team coaching setup at Barnes RFC.
Amy Cokayne
Amy currently plays hooker at Harlequins and is part of the England Rugby set up. She balances rugby with her full-time role in the RAF. Interestingly, Amy emigrated to New Zealand with her family when she was younger and captained her school side to 53 consecutive wins.
Abby Dow
Abby made her England debut in 2017 against Canada, and at just 23 years old she has 18 caps under her belt. Dow is known for her fast pace; she is often seen racing down the pitch. Her Twitter puns are well known in the rugby world and bring a smile to her followers!
Playing for England in white shorts. It’s a bloody joke. Period. https://t.co/sFoQaeh50i
— Abby Dow (@abbydowberg) June 16, 2021
Sarah Hunter MBE
Last but not least, we move on to a true legend of the game, Sarah Hunter. Sarah is well known for her great leadership. She has captained the Red Roses on multiple occasions and has 123 caps to her name. She has a calm head on the pitch, which is sometimes much needed in tense situations. Currently, Sarah is a player-coach at Loughborough Lightning.
Simon Middleton MBE
It’s also worth giving a nod to Simon Middleton, the current head coach of the England women’s rugby union team. He joined the RFU in 2014 and has since guided the team to win multiple Grand Slams. He was recently awarded an MBE for his services to rugby.