IamA Female Rugby Union player and coach, AMA!

Do you notice a disproportionate number of lesbians involved in female rugby? I would like to stress that I'm not asking this out of any kind of prurience or desire to mock.

No problem, any questions are welcome! Yes out of my team the percentages are almost definitely higher than the national average but then again its a very comfortable and welcoming environment for anyone of any orientation so that may be why people are more able to come out and so affect the stats!

One of the more common homophobic arguments against gay athletes is that openly gay athletes will cause discord in the dressing rooms: being naked around gay team-mates will cause straight members to be uncomfortable, or so it is claimed. Then of course there is the even worse argument that allowing straight and gay athletes to train together will somehow cause the straight ones to ''turn'' gay.

Personally I think both these arguments are bullshit, but I have very little experience in organised sports. So I guess you're a good person to ask. Do you have any experience with either of the two situations? Do you (assuming you are straight) feel uncomfortable changing in front of a gay, female team-mate? If not, would you feel the same way if the team-mates was a straight male? Also, have there been any instances of straight team-mates ''turning'' gay due to exposure to gay team-mates? Are relationships between players ever allowed?

I'm straight and don't feel uncomfortable at all changing in front of a gay female teammate. I would probably feel slightly different if it was a straight male but I feel as a female they are less likely to sexualise every woman there (gross oversimplification I know but it was the only way I could explain it, sorry). I find it a bit offensive to lesbians that some girls feel like because they're a lesbian they will be attracted to them when this isn't the case at all.

I've known teammates who I thought were straight get involved with other teammates and girls have come out as gay but that may be to do with the welcome atmosphere. We don't have rules on relationships between players so I guess it could!

I played club rugby in the UK when enormous team-sized baths were still legal. So basically I bathed every Saturday afternoon with 29 other men (obviously the other team were invited) for the duration of several seasons, and I miraculously didn't catch the gay.

I honestly think those with a problem about being 'turned' are actually a bit uncomfortable with their sexuality anyway.

"catch the gay!?" But totally agreed with those worrying about it being uncomfortable with their sexuality!

And just because I am a straight male do I have to be attracted to you? Wouldn't you share a locker room with me ?

No but I feel like a woman as a member of the same gender and used to seeing the female body is less likely to sexualise it. I may be wrong but that's just how I feel.

Quite a few openly gay males in professional rugby as well, it's a much more tolerant environment for that sort of stuff I reckon. I guess it could also have something to do with the fact that the go-to "insult" would be that they're "girly" or not tough enough or whatever, which wouldn't fly too well with professional rugby players. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near the guy who calls Keegan Hirst or Gareth Thomas a pussy.

The most respected rugby referee in the world is an openly gay man as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZlFVOp4faI

Thanks for doing this. I love rugby, am a massive fan of England (I'm English), and definitely want to see more women playing.

I have a series of random questions I've just thought of - please feel free to pick & choose if you don't want to answer all of them.

1. Are there any differences at all re: rules vs the male version? For reasons of physicality or any other
2. What position do you play? Edit: Seen you're a No. 8 in a later comment
3. Do the physiques follow the male version? Larger, more stout forwards, for example.
4. In your view, what needs to happen to increase popularity of the sport with women to play & watch?
5. What made you get into the sport?
6. What is your training regime?
7. Which rule do you least like in Union, currently?
8. Is there a rule you think needs to be introduced to Union?
9. Do you think the addition of replays to determine tries scored that the referee is unsure about have improved the game? (I do)
10. What's your view of League? (I've never really seen the appeal, but can't deny its popularity)

Thanks for doing this AMA & keep it up! Living in the UK is so dominated by football, which I'm no fan of, so the more we can increase rugby's popularity, the better!

No problem! I'll do my best to answer your questions!

1. No differences that I know of at the international level, in lower levels eg some university leagues they play "U19 rules" in which the scrum can only be pushed 1.5m. In younger years girls don't start lifting in lineouts until u18 level (or they didn't when I played!)

2. Yeah no.8 or anywhere in the back row!

3. I would say so, there are the same advantages to being larger as a forward in the women's game as in the mens. Obviously they tend to be smaller on average though

4. I think the RFU needs to make a commitment to show the womens game on TV more, make it a priority to turn it professional etc. At the moment the excuse is that "its not watched enough/not at a good enough level". However the commitment needs to be made to show it more to increase interest and start paying players so they don't have to try a fit in a job around training to improve the standard!

5. I got into the sport as I pretty much got into every sport at secondary school!

6. Our uni team trains twice a week with matches on Wednesdays, I normally try to get to the gym every day I don't have training/a match other than Thursdays which is swimming recovery!

7. Hmm I would have to say that I think a penalty is worth too much compared to a try and encourages kicking rather than playing the ball! I would probably prefer if conversions and penalties were both worth 2!

8. I think the recent scrum laws have helped a lot to make that part of the game faster. Not sure of anything else right now!

9. Definitely, I like the replays for tries as well as the replays to check for foul play meaning the culprit is punished rather than "lots of them were involved and we can't send them all off" attitude.

10. I'm not much of league fan really, its a completely different sport and for me it takes away a number of the parts of the game that I love!

No worries! Hope my answers make sense! My numbers are messing up somehow!

with matches on Wednesdays

Bu.. But... But Saturday's a Rugby Day!

Most university sports take place on Wednesday afternoons. It means that different unis can play eachother without risking players' lecture schedules getting in the way.

English Universities have lectures Saturdays but not Wednesdays??

Most have Wednesday afternoons off.

I know maths, natural sciences and engineering students all have Saturday lectures at my uni (Cambridge) but I don't know how common it is across the board.

Very interesting. That is not at all what it is like in the US

We have Wednesday afternoons off for sport, its the same across most UK universities so we can play sport. How your course feels about this is a different question and it can often end up being rather tricky!

Very important year for english rugby this year as your country is hosting the rugby world cup. Which team do you think has what it takes this year to win?

Yeah its going to be massive! Obviously I'm supporting England and I have to say I'm heartened by the increased creativity in the backs line but that doesn't mean they're going to win! The three to watch will be Ireland, NZ and England with home advantage. Ultimately I think it might be between England and NZ with whichever team sorts out some forwards issues both are having to win!

Few questions, thanks for the AMA!!

1. Do you know a bear that we all know?

2. Did you use to work in Chicago in an old department store?

3. What is your favorite rugby song?

4. Are the ladies All Blacks as freakishly good as the true All Blacks?

5. Ever heard of Maggotfest?

No problem, I'm glad people seem to be interested!

1. Yogi? Yogi?

2. I don't work there anymore

3. It has to be a song called "Rugby Boys" which we mainly use to mock the mens rugby team when they try and tell us we can't play because we're girls... a similar version to ours can be found here: http://fuckyeahwomensrugby.tumblr.com/thesongs

4. Ladies all blacks (Black Ferns) are (as far as I know) top in the world but they wouldn't have a chance against the true All Blacks!

5. Nope...not sure I want to!

http://www.maggots.org

The Maggots are arguably the best team in Montana, one of the better teams in the north-west States. They host a weekend long tournament every year in May called Maggotfest. LOTS of free beer (see the testimonial from a guy. You'll see the link on their page.) Might I add this is a costume tournament, so there's that you can think about. The Maggots all have carebear costumes, which are all alcohol themed. I have yet to go myself. But it's probably the greatest time ever.

Also, we have a gal up here who is MEAN with a ball. Like... She will tear any guy here into pieces. Real good player. As far as I'm concerned, the gals can come play with the guys anytime, they can hold their own!

This sounds like a brilliant idea! I need to skive placement somehow and come over!

if you are not playing or doing any rugby stuff, what is your ideal way to spend your free time or day?

Well as I'm at uni (studying medicine) I kinda feel on my days off from rugby I should probably do some work! It doesn't always happen though... I enjoy swimming and watch an alarming amount of Netflix when I'm not playing rugby/gyming!

Do you think its unusual for someone to study medicine while also being a competitive rugby player? Is there overlap?

We do have a strange number of medics on the team considering the time commitment. We do still get the Wednesday afternoons off but that starts disappearing in 3/4/5th year so its a lot harder to play!

Cool! I have a few questions!

1. Are there different rules in tackling in female union as opposed to the male version?

2. I live in Australia but I think it might be similar there - union has a reputation for being more tolerant of LGBTI people than other sports. For example, my city recently hosted the gay rugby union championships, whilst the more popular sport, league, didn't even send a representative to Mardi Gras (whilst every other sport did). Why do you think this is?

3. Do you ever hope women's rugby will get as big as the men's sport, or do you like the niche status it holds?

4. How shit are your refs on a scale of 1 to horrible?

1. No difference on the tackling front!

2. I'm not sure exactly why it is but I definitely see it in union over here as well. I think its a very welcoming environment and possibly as it has always been seen in that sort of way it has a reputation for being like that and so the reputation precedes it and people feel comfortable!

3. I hope it does but not sure if it will, it would be great for women to have the opportunity to be paid to play rather than having to sort their training around their jobs and (in the case of the England team) barely every training as a team due to work commitments

4. HA! Well you get everything in between if I'm honest. Sometimes I prefer biased refs just so I can hate on them rather than feeling sorry that they can be so awful! All jokes aside though, some of them are decent and are genuinely interested in making the womens game bigger!

Thanks for answering my questions! Are the refs women too or are they mixed genders?

No problem! They tend to be men, I think I've only had one female ref while I've been playing!

What position do you play? Whats your opinion on 7s?

I play no.8.

Sevens is a great form of the game, its completely different though! I'm actually going to the Singha 7s this weekend! Personally I prefer watching 7s to playing it, I love the scrum/maul/lineout aspect of the 15s game so that's why its my choice!

I have never played 15s in my life even though im a huge rugby fan. I used to play sevens but now its too fast :D. Good luck!

Thanks! yeah as a forward I feel that 7s is more a backs/centres game!

What do you do to workout?

What do you eat?

What is your main advice on fitness?

Thank you so much for the AMA! :)

-I try to increase explosive power as well as stamina so I tend to do weights a couple of times a week, plenty of compound exercises and swimming as recovery. I tend to do chest Monday, cardio Tuesday, match on Wednesday, swimming recovery on Thursday, legs Friday, die quietly at the weekend with a small amount of cardio on sunday!

-I know this isn't the case for most people but I eat a crazy amount better at uni than I do at home just because I don't buy the bad food! I like to work out in the mornings, then have a protein bar/shake for breakfast, generally a small lunch with carbs (pesto pasta etc) then meat and veg for tea.

• My main advice on fitness would be to make it a habit and do something you actually enjoy. For me, that means fitness classes like body pump, arc trainer cardio classes, beating my best on weights etc. I hate running on a treadmill and i'm not a big fan of running in general but there are so many other things you can do! Making it that habit- e.g certain days/times makes it much better and if you don't do it you feel like you've missed out, it does take a few weeks to fix that in your brain though!

Is this something you've wanted to do since you were very young, like a dream-come-true kinda thing?

I've played rugby since I was about 13 and I was very lucky to have an extremely supportive coach at my secondary school. The RFU is investing heavily in women's rugby and so when I got the opportunity to do a coaching course I jumped at it! Doing medicine at uni I would have to say my dream would be to become a rugby team doctor which would allow me to keep up my love for the sport!

Who is the heaviest member of your team? And do you think that women's rugby can equal mens in terms of spectator interest?

I'd say we had a couple of girls over 200lbs/95+kg but I couldn't say for sure!

Not sure if it will ever match it but it could get a lot closer than it is at the moment with more output on tv/generally more female targeting eg at the moment you can't buy a womens fit England playing shirt, only "supporters shirts"

What's the story with socializing with your team/club? In my day (not too long ago) women's rugger was not really popular - but now (I live in US now) it's pretty popular. So do the girls head out for a night on the piss/shenanigans? How about stupid rituals that a new team member must go through?

One thing I loved about playing by was the social aspect. Great fun.

Socialising is one of my favourite parts of rugby, after matches on Wednesdays we normally go out as a group, plenty of dressing up/drinking games etc. There is normally an initiation type thing that newbies have to endure but its really very tame as there are a lot of rules in place at the university to stop things like that. It normally just involves a lot of drinking and making yourself look stupid/completing challenges!

Would you also have an interest in Rugby League or are you exclusively Union? If not, what's your thoughts on League?

I'm pretty much just a union girl, I think that's just because its what I grew up with. League is a completely different game and although it has its merits it removes some aspects of the game that I really like!

I watched a lot of amateur girls rugby while working at sports complex during Uni and wow were they violent. What is the most vicious act you have seen on the field? What about committed yourself?

Yeah it can get a bit nasty, biting, hair pulling and scratching can also come into play!

I've seen plenty of bad injuries on the field that weren't caused maliciously, genuine tackles etc that have landed badly. E.g I've accidentally dislocated someones shoulder with no intent there.

Maliciously, stamping tends to be the worst, and the worst I've done was probably thrown a punch when my friends back got stamped on at the bottom of a ruck!

Punching and Stomping all blew my mind when I first watched the sport.. thanks!

Yeah, I like that they now can go back and catch whoever instigated it, actions that are vicious and deliberately meant to incapacitate need to be called!

Who are your rugby idols? Both male and female?

Maggie Alphonsi is an absolute inspiration who I've met before, her ability on the pitch and commitment to furthering the women's game is incredible. Katy Mclean has captained the womens team through a time of great change and shes done a great job. Men's team wise, I love watching Sonny Bill, Robshaw (his tackle rate is incredible), I also loved Jason Robinson and Dallaglio from when I was first getting into rugby.

How do you think having Rugby Sevens at the Olympics is going to affect Rugby as a whole, particularly the effect of the women's event?

I think its a good start to the introduction of the womens game into a widely televised sector. Especially considering that the women involved are getting paid as professionals now! Although I prefer 15s to 7s its a brilliant step.

Hello! Just wanted your insight on these topics:

• How do you tend to manage allotting time when committed to both your education and sport?
• What keeps you motivated to strive toward your goals (sport/otherwise)? Is the atmosphere you're in supportive?

Trying my best to not make it too personal lol

No worries on the personal issues haha!

I probably don't do as much work as I should, but I tend to manage. I see a lot of my time as "what else could I be doing right now?" and that helps put things into perspective and that an hour or two a day isn't actually that long when you think how long most people sit down doing nothing!

I have a lot of supportive friends, an incredibly supportive boyfriend and a family that approves of pretty much anything I want to do (though my mum can get a bit worried about me getting injured!). I've been pushed to do better since I was younger and I probably have only come to appreciate it recently. I do have a bit of a fear of failure but thankfully I also know I have people around me who would still love me even if something went wrong!

That's a good view to hold, and it's great to know everyone is supportive of you and your endeavours!

Take care and good luck in all that you do!

Thanks so much! You too!

Hey thanks for doing this AMA!

So my brother has done rugby and once he was in it was like joining the mafia for him. He knows more about his team members than me, that's how close everyone was this includes bodily functions, sexual prowess and injury history. They also made him drink stupid amounts of alcohol too! So is it the same way for woman's rugby team?

No problem!

Yeah its very much an all consuming endeavour! Haha it sounds fairly similar, but theres definitely not stupid pressure on you to do anything. We have girls in our team who don't drink etc and no one has an issue with it so its still really down to you if you drink and go out etc!

So, you would've been 8 when we won the world cup in 2003? I'm guessing you're part of the generation who would have been inspired by that win to get involved in the game? Do you remember it? Did it have much of an influence on your decision to play? (I'm guessing it did from some of the players you mention as your heroes.)

• What do you think of the changes to the scrum rules? And what do you think about the idea of playing with uncontested scrums, which some people seem to be calling for?

• Is there anything as a coach that frustrates you? Anything you find yourself repeating to players, that you struggle to get through to them? When I played, many years ago, I'm sure I annoyed the hell out of some of my coaches..

• What position would you least like to play?

Yes that era was when I got into watch rugby a fair bit, Dallaglio, Robinson and Wilkinson were 3 of my favourite players and Martin Johnson was the first captain I really watched (he signed my cast when I broke my arm at 11, it was amazing :')). Not sure if that's what made me start playing but it definitely got me interested! I think the changes are good, it reduces the time spent messing about! Personally I would dislike uncontested scrums, it would take out part of the game I love! As a coach players who believe they know everything are probably the worst! Those who think that (especially because I'm a woman) they know better and can't take anything from my advice! Hmm I would probably have to say wing! Too little to do and I'm not the fastest runner ever! Not much of a fan of playing further forward in the scrum either, I like to get away fast and back into the game!

Perhaps a tough question for you, but why do you think rugby hasn't taken off in the USA like other countries?

I'm not sure if I'm honest! I think they already have such a wealth of popular sports such as basketball, hockey etc that a lot of countries didn't have before rugby started getting really big!

A loose head and tight head fat boy chiming in here for a second, in the north-west at least, parents have this possible fear that their delicate little child will get hurt because they're not wearing pads. They don't understand that nobody has more than a mouthguard and a scrum cap at most, and for their kid to get smoked the way American football players do, that means that the tackler is also probably gonna get hurt as well. Nobody wants that to happen, either. The parents of younger kids aren't educated enough to understand the game, but to be fair, most ruggers don't even understand, we're just crazier than the average bear. ;)

Haha we from the north-west are hard anyway! I wear a mouthguard but I do have to admit that I occasionally wear pads with a chest guard, we have a couple of assets which are very painful to land on/have elbowed without protection! My mum gets a bit worried but shes given up trying to stop me!

I was meaning the north-west States, but maybe it's just any place in the north-west that's crazy..?

Funny story that I just remembered, Charmin, one of our second rowers, got cleated in the inner thigh pretty good in beginning of a game and tore his shorts a bit. Come to a lineout a few minutes later, we go to lift him(we did shorts lifting, I was the only one who has thrown a jumper up in a lineout on my team at this point), and we literally tore his shorts in half. Like... We made his shorts into a short skirt. He had to play the rest of the game that way. Hahaha. Good time that was...

Haha perhaps!

Haha that's brilliant! I'm surprised he didn't run off!

Which uni do you play for? Who has been the toughest opponent you've played against?

I play for Nottingham, we got beaten fairly heavily by Northumbria, I would say the toughest closest match I've played has been against Cambridge.

That and the varsity matches are always super intense!

The Cambridge women's team is pretty good. This year the varsity is being played just before the men's at Twickenham and streamed live on iPlayer which should be good for publicity.

That's awesome! Yeah should be good!

We played Northumbria a couple of years ago; scrappy play every which way, not a nice match!

They smashed my friends jaw :(

Hey! What do you think of the "Americanisation" of the sport? I.e. Players getting bigger and bigger in the forwards and some backs staying much the same size. Some people think in a few years this may ruin the game at the professional level and force more players into early retirement due to more serious injurys. What do you think?

Best of luck in September.

I think that its going the same way to a lot of professional sports, including athletics etc. Players will have a shorter playing expectancy but at least in the mens game they are being paid a reasonable amount for their available years- a tighthead prop with a shorter playing expectancy gets paid higher than a back row for instance. It can be a problem though, as can the length of time scrums etc take up!

How does rugby culture vary from country to country, whether you can comment on personal travels or internet-based knowledge?

Also, how important do you see rugby being in your life going forward? Where do you see the game in your life in 5 years, 15 years, etc?

I think in terms of womens rugby its moving at different paces in different countries, it would be nice if they could all catch up as it would make the contests better! I'm not entirely sure on the other differences though! I'd love for rugby to still be a part of my life but i'm going to have to work quite hard to make that happen, I'd love to do a phd in sports medicine or something along those lines.

Which position is better, 11: left wing or 14: right wing? ;p

Just kidding!

Serious: after matches do you have drink ups and sing baudy songs? Or is this a college/university only post-match celebration?

Haha neither!

Yeah we do, penalty pints and pints for player of the match etc etc. There tends to be a bit of singing going on too!

Football is still my sport of choice. But I do watch and like the occasional rugby on telly. But some of them tend to be droll encounters. I mean a 0-0 in football doesn't necessarily translate into a dull game, but often in rugby the play consists of players kicking the ball into touch. That's part of strategy but seems just masking team's lack of ideas.

Question, what do you think will make the game better (for viewers at least)? I know it is free flowing as there's no fake injuries in rugby!

I can't deny that I don't have much of an interest in football! I do love the lack of diving all over the ground (other than for try scoring!). Thankfully for England (if you're an England fan) the backline has recently started showing a lot more flair and creativity than in previous years! Not sure how we can combat the endless kicking game though.

Which England centre pairing do you favour for the RWC? I'm still backing BB+JJ but BB+Slade is looking better and better.. And I've come around to liking Sam at 12 as well, though I still don't think he should start.

I agree! I have a soft sport for JJ but Slade performed pretty well despite some twitchy feet meaning he tackled too early! I really wasn't a fan of sam until I saw the match at the weekend but hes definitely grown on me! He needs to work on general awareness within the game though.

Will you continue with the game at the same level after university? I know that for young doctors, time is always a problem.

I'm definitely going to try, probably join a local club and attempt to play at weekends but I don't know if it will happen. In my dreams I would love to be a rugby team doctor to be able to continue being part of a sport I love!

I know of a male doctor who has managed to do this but HO/SHO placements made it hard for a while.

Good luck.

Thank you :)

Any gruesome injuries? I know this one time while watching a rugby game a players face basically got mashed into the group and he broke many bones in his face and it was one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. So what kind of injuries are common/have happened in women's?

Ouch.

Personally I've broken my arm as the most serious, in womens you have a definite nail check at the start of most matches, I've had some pretty horrific gouge marks on my cheeks as well!

As for injuries I've seen, I've seen someone have their jaw broken which was pretty grim, and a fairly nasty collar bone snap!

One of the reasons why I regret not going University, well, not out of choice, but out of fate, I would have loved to play Rugby at a high level.

Out of curiosity, if I joined University at the age of 26, would there be any chance of that turning into a career?

As in turning rugby into a career? Most definitely! You wouldn't need to go to university for that either. I'd suggest joining a local club and asking them about regional/district team trials!

You really think I could make a career in Rugby at 25? (26 as it'll be August next year).

Yes, I have a local team, and they've asked me to join twice, I'm around 190lbs at 10% bodyfat so they've seen my running around the City and I guess they've judged me based on fitness and size. I used to play back in College, but they disbanded the Team.

Is it simply joining the local team, and hoping someone sees you play well kinda thing?

You just have to get involved. Joining and learning who to ask the right questions is key. Find out who is involved with trials for the next level and ask what you need to do to be considered for those trials. I haven't met a coach yet who won't tell someone what they need to do to improve and go further!

1. At my college, we have certain traditions on our team for our vet/rookie dynamic. How is the dynamic between your vets/rookies, do you have any certain traditions or hierarchy amongst your team?
2. Do you have any tips for playing no. 8?
3. Does your uni have a men's team, and are you close with them (aka socialize)?
4. What's the craziest thing you've done at a rugby drinkup?

1. The dynamic is pretty great, we have rugby mums/daughters etc, stretching up to great great great grandmas when alumni comes around! No particular traditions!

2. No.8 requires you to be very adaptable, you need to be able to react quickly if a situation isn't going to plan. A lot of your job is coordinating the forwards!

3. We have 4 mens teams I think, we occasionally socialise with them after matches etc and especially after varsity matches

4. Hmm there are probably crazier things that I've done that I can't remember but I woke up one morning with several items of road-traffic control in my bedroom (cones, signs etc) so presume that must have been a wild one!

During the recent Women's World Cup, there was a lot of comparisons being made between the men's and women's games. One fact that kept getting brought up was how elite women's football teams would lose to U-18 men's teams, by big margins some times. This was done to illustrate the difference in quality between men's and women's football, although what it really did was illustrate the influence of natural physicality and training in football matches.

I was wondering if a similar comparison could be made with rugby, given that phyiscality is even more pronounced in this sport. If an elite, national women's rugby team were to play an average men's U-18 team, would they be able to beat the boys? Would they be able to defeat a men's semi-professional or perhaps amateur rugby side?

As for your university side, what level of men's rugby could your team defeat? Under 16s?

Yeah I was going to say, the training is the real difference!

I would say that it would be a good match between them and an u18 team but considering the pay/training difference between men and womens rugby is even bigger than men and womens football it wouldn't go so well for them!

Yeah I would say u15/16, especially since not all guys have started getting massive by then!

Have you thought about studying abroad in the US? D3 American rugby is kind of a shit show but still insanely fun nonetheless.

I know a couple of friends who played in Canada for a bit and I have to admit I was considering it after university!

Will Ireland ever defeat the All Blacks?

I think they'll always struggle with the sheer force of the NZ pack and backline

Do you think that there is a physiological element that is holding female sports back from being as physically powerful as male sports?

Undoubtedly. Its impossible that a womens England team could ever be as strong/fast/powerful as a mens team, we're anatomically different

Some women's sports are beginning to see a rise in popularity in some countries (Soccer and UFC being good examples here in Australia), is women's Rugby Union experiencing the same burst of interest? If not, what do you think needs to be done to propel women's Union in regards to it's popularity?

Definitely, especially after the womens win in the world cup the RFU has been putting forward a number of targets to increase participation etc. I think making the players professionals is the first big step (has been started with the 7s players) and more televised coverage.

Who do you look up to in terms of coaching?

Clive Woodward has to be one of my favourites just for being the first coach I really saw when I first got into watching rugby, as well as mentions of him in Dallaglios books. I also massively look up to my coach from secondary school who still answers any of my questions/offers help. He has done amazingly to get so many girls into rugby, including some in the national set up.

Why do you think the US sucks so much at rugby?

Too many other high profile sports which they're pretty good at!

Do you think women will coach top-level male rugby someday, or do you need to have played male rugby in order to coach it effectively?

You definitely don't need to have played male rugby to coach but it will take a while before female coaches have the experience and respect to coach a top level team.

Do you have time to socialize ? Since you have to go for rugby training and attend lectures + studying....

I juggle things as best I can, try to organise myself so I can do a bit of everything! And rugby training is socialising:)

Is there a problem with performance enhancing drugs in your sport?

I haven't personally or known anyone with issues with it.

I presume there are issues like that in most sports the higher up you go!

Hello. Fly here. I haven't played with the old boys in 2 years but I really miss it and am not in top shape right now. With that said, what type of workout routine do you maintain to stay in shape? Ruck on.

Hey there Fly! That's the good thing about rugby, theres a position for you whichever shape you're in ;) I tend to try and mix it up, weights Monday Friday, cardio Tuesday sunday, match days Wednesday and recovery Thursday! I tend to do classes at the university gym as its a great way to keep motivated! Body pump as resistance training and arc trainer classes as cardio are my favourites! Keep it scrumming.