RFUW
England Women’s Elite Squad
Julia Hutton | RFUW Media Manager
Abi Chamberlain in action for England
England Head Coach Gary Street named an England Women’s Elite squad for the 2009/2010 season of 44 players to contest a three test series against New Zealand in November and then the RBS 6 Nations in February and March. With England hosting the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup in August and September next year in London, this is a crucial year for the reigning RBS 6 Nations and Nations Cup champions. “We have a very busy international programme this season and that will give everyone in this squad the chance to put their hands up for a place in next year’s world cup squad,” said Street.
Street has named four newcomers in his elite squad, including England Under 20s graduate and Worcester prop Laura Keates. Keates has been involved in the RFUW set-up since she was an under 16s player, and last season captained the Under 20s to Nations Cup glory. Richmond centre Abi Chamberlain also joins the squad after some good performances at club level. She also ran out for England 7s last season in the European Championships. Team Northumbria’s Jane Leonard returns to the elite squad after a year out because of work commitments with the Army while Worcester’s Amber Penrith has also come out of retirement. Street added: “I feel we have a solid and experienced squad capable of realising our ambitions. I’m delighted to welcome Laura, Abi, Amber and Jane into the squad. Laura has had two very good years with the under 20s, and will certainly add more strength to our forwards this year, while Abi is a very versatile player who has huge potential and can play in the centre, at full back and on the wing. Amber and Jane return to the squad after some time off, and both have proven what talent they are in the past. I am sure they’ll play a big part this season.”
TEAM WORK
Julia Hutton
Northamptonshire County Council’s fire and rescue service has entered into a three year partnership with a local women’s rugby team to promote safety messages across the county. The Wellingborough Ladies Rugby Team will support a number of fire safety initiatives, including home fire safety checks and the young fire-fighters project. The team’s presence in the wider community will also promote the service’s work with equality and diversity by helping to reinforce the message that the fire and rescue service is a career opportunity for women.
Mark Ainge, area manager for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Wellingborough Ladies Rugby Football Club represents women from across the county who work together as a team, which is how we operate within fire and rescue. They are a committed group of physically active women of different ages, backgrounds and professions. We are excited about the opportunity this gives us to further reach out to our community through the work the team will be supporting.” Kerry York, Wellingborough captain, added: “We are looking forward to supporting the work of the service and this fantastic opportunity will help raise the profile not only of women’s rugby but highlight awareness of females working as firefighters.”
University students get top class coaching
Female students from South coast and West Midlands’ universities have been given the chance to learn the skills of tackling and handling from England’s top female international rugby players. The students were coached by members of the 2009 RBS 6 Nations winning team. England are also the reigning Nations Cup champions and will host the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup in August and September next year.
Clare Cooper, Women’s Rugby Development Manager for the Rugby Football Union for Women, said: “Women’s university teams often recruit new players in Freshers’ Week only to lose them to other sports because the prospect of playing contact rugby is often daunting to those who have never played before. What we wanted to do through this programme is show them how they can play safely by learning tackling and handling skills.” Nick Parker, the University of Portsmouth’s community rugby coach, added: “This was a great initiative to introduce new players to the game and gave them the chance to learn from the very best.”
