Wilson’s star on the rise

I started playing the game when I was five at Old Caterhamians rugby club before I moved through the age groups and up to Warlingham with the boys. At Dorking, aged 12, I had my first experience of womens rugby under the guidance of Stewart Irvine. As soon as I turned 18 I moved to senior rugby at Richmond. I was in the England U20s set up last season and was lucky enough to play in the 1st XV at Richmond.

This is my first year in the Elite 44 squad for England, which I was delighted to be selected and am looking forward to the challenges it brings.

After an excellent season last year winning the Premiership, we at Richmond have a big job this year to defend our title.

We have got off to a good start winning all of our league matches so far and getting some vital bonus points too.

This years World Cup saw many Richmond players in action.

There was Claire Allan, Rachel Burford, Amy Turner, Rebecca Essex, Emma Layland, Fiona Pocock and Alice Richardson. As a club we were so proud of all the girls who worked hard giving so many memorable performances. Unfortunately during the tournament a few players were injured meaning they would be out for a lot of the season. We are lucky that we have strength in depth at the club which gave many individuals the opportunity to step up and show off their skills in the first team.

Eleven of the Richmond team made it into the England Elite 44 this season, with some just missing out of a place. However Fiona Davidson has retained her place in England U20s and that is a credit to her incredible work ethic both on and off the pitch. As a team we are fortunate that we have so much talent and experience to help each other out.

So we are top of the league at the moment be we all know that there is a long way to go to retain our title. There is a lot that work that we need to do as a team and on an individual basis. With a lot of help from head coach Karen Findlay and all the other coaches we are fortunate to have the opportunity to work on these skills and to improve them to a high standard.

We have a lot of support from the Richmond as a club and we are trying to bridge the gap between the mens section and the women. Old Albanians recently hosted a double header (Mens XV followed by Womens XV), the aim being to raise the profile of our section in the club. The results were very successful for both Richmond sides; a number of spectators commented on the high standard of the womens game.

It is hoped to make such fixtures a regular occurrence.

With a combination of experience from the senior players, a number of young players coming through and a committed coaching staff the future of womens rugby looks bright at Richmond.