Katy McLean kicking women's rugby on to new heights

Aug 20 2010 by Nick Purewal, The Journal

A World Cup triumph on home soil might have been overlooked a decade ago where England’s women are concerned. Darlington Mowden Park’s Katy McLean told Nick Purewal times are changing, and fast

“The training camps were very intense, working in three sessions a day and living on top of each other, but that’s how you build the bond you need to succeed. I finished with the foundation on June 30 and I’ve been extremely lucky with how flexible and helpful they have been with me.

“If they hadn’t given me so much time here and there and allowed me to move things around I wouldn’t have been able to fit everything in.

“I don’t think our employers in general get anywhere near enough praise for the goodwill that they show to us.

“I’ve been lucky to have the summer free just to concentrate on this, because I start my teacher training in September.”

The USA and Kazakhstan complete Pool B, and McLean said every clash will be as tough as the next.

“We’ve got a lot of talent and we’ve had success in recent times, but that means tonight come tonight,” she explained.

“Ireland have got good, quick backs and a pack that creates a lot of quick ball, and they want to play the same way as us. They want to move the ball and use the width of the pitch, and we’ve got to be on our game, otherwise we will be punished.

“Kazakhstan won the Asian group, pretty comfortably, so they might not be so well-known but they are here on merit. We can’t take anything for granted, and we certainly don’t want to think of ourselves as one of the favourites.”

ENGLAND: D Waterman, K Merchant (both Worcester), E Scarratt (Lichfield), R Burford, F Pocock (both Richmond), K McLean (Darlington Mowden Park, vice-capt), A Turner (Richmond), R Clark (Team Northumbria), A Garnett (Saracens), S Hemming (Bristol), B Essex (Richmond), Jo McGilchrist (Wasps), H Fisher (Worcester), M Alphonsi (Saracens), C Spencer (Bristol, capt). Replacements: E Crocker (Richmond), C Purdy (Wasps), T Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park), S Hunter (Lichfield), L T Mason (Wasps), A Richardson (Richmond), C Barras (Saracens).

ENGLAND’S POOL B FIXTURES: Ireland (tonight, 6.30pm), Kazakhstan (Aug 24, 6.30pm), USA (Aug 28, 6.30pm).