ACLs, clutches and non-contact: How Grace Deane is preparing for her second Leicester season

If there is a moment in her life that Grace Deane hasn’t filled with something worthwhile, then it is likely to be a surprise to those who know her best.

The Leicester Tigers wing is about to embark on her second season at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, and there is plenty on her plate to juggle before the season starts in September.

The 26-year-olds priority is to complete her return to full fitness after she suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament [ACL] injury after only three matches for Tigers in 2025/26. She has been able to join in with most of the training sessions since preseason started but crucially isn’t allowed to take part in the contact sessions for now.

After those first three matches, Deane’s first season was a write-off, and she had to watch on as the Tigers finished bottom of the JAECOO Premiership Women’s Rugby [PWR], something they are determined to avoid in the coming season.

“On the whole, last season was really difficult for us as a club,” Deane told RugbyPass. “I had my own frustration with my injury, but not being able to get a win last year was really difficult and also feeling like I was not able to contribute to the club was challenging as well. We’ve got a few new signings this season, and a lot more full-time staff, which is really exciting.

“Everyone has that time to process and reflect and come into the season as a new one. I’m really looking forward to this season. The landscape changes so much with signings. I genuinely think the league is going to look different.”

Deane is also using preseason to get to know her new team-mates. Tigers have brought in six new faces over the offseason, most recently USA international Rachel Ehrecke, who has followed Deane’s path in crossing the East Midlands divide and signed from Loughborough Lightning.

Australia duo Tabua Tuinakauvadra and Caitlyn Halse have also signed, as have France’s Coco Lindelauf, Wales’s Abbie Fleming and England centre Lagi Tuima.

“I’ve been handing out stickers,” Deane said. “We’ve got little holographic Tigers stickers, and it’s been so nice to meet all the new players. We’ve still got a few to come in. Some are coming from Australia, so their journey’s a little bit longer, but it’s been a really nice atmosphere.

“The direction we’re going in with our new coaches, and the intensity of training is really great. I’m enjoying being among the girls. I’m not allowed to do any contact yet, but I’m ready for it.”

If getting ready for the new season wasn’t enough to be thinking about, Deane doubles her playing career with a full-time position at the Office of Nuclear Regulation in Cheltenham, where she previously played for Cheltenham Tigers.

While she is unable to divest too many details about her position, it means she is a regular figure racking up the miles on the various motorways between Gloucestershire and Leicestershire. Thankfully, her journey has been made a lot easier thanks to help from the PWR’s new title sponsor, JAECOO.

In June, Deane posted a video on Instagram of her stuck on the side of a motorway, awaiting recovery after the clutch in her 11-year-old car had given out. She used it to demonstrate the issues that female athletes face as they juggle elite sport with their career.

Less than a fortnight later Deane was able posted another video on Instagram, this time with a smile rather than tears on her face, as she became the first PWR player to receive a JAECOO car. Something that will make her various commutes far smoother.

While Deane initially had a few issues with the doors, she has since got to grips with the technology, and is happy to offer team-mates lifts, especially now they have discovered that the car has a karaoke mode. Keep an eye for more highlights on her Instagram.

PWR

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Gloucester-Hartpury Women RFC

16

14

2

0

73

2

Saracens Women

16

14

2

0

71

3

Exeter Chiefs Women

16

9

4

3

56

4

Trailfinders Women

16

7

7

2

46

5

Harlequins Women

16

6

9

1

42

6

Loughborough Lightning

16

5

9

2

39

7

Sale Sharks Women

16

6

9

1

38

8

Bristol Bears Women

16

6

9

1

34

9

Leicester Tigers Women

16

0

16

0

3

“My clutch completely went,” she said. “I was on the motorway, and it was a really frightening experience. I posted that video, just about sharing the highs and lows of being a female athlete. I hummed and hawed about sharing it, but I am really proud I did.

“It’s all voice controlled, which I haven’t tried yet, but the biggest thing for me is that it’s a really safe car. I get into it, and it feels really safe. It feels really reliable and when I travel for businesses, it’s really nice to have that reassurance. All the cool gadgets are fun, but it feels like a really safe vehicle.”

Just to add another string to her bow, Deane is also one of Leicester’s representatives on the Rugby Players’ Association [RPA], and in a position to shape the sport to ensure best practice for women’s rugby and keep those responsible for the sport aware of what issues are unique to female athletes.

Deane came late to rugby after trying her hand at hockey and netball, but found they lacked the physical edge that she found with rugby. She joined Bury St Edmond in her native Suffolk, then moved to Cheltenham Tigers and, from there, Lightning and now Leicester.

It means Deane has a vested interest in putting in place support and structures to ensure girls and women enter a sport that embraces and understands the differences between female and male rugby players.

“We’ve had one year now for our first women’s board, and it’s been really great learning how different clubs do things and how best to support players that have come to this league,” Deane said.

“There are differences in the mental movement game, brief game, but also the priorities are different, so you’re looking at the staff requirements, lifestyle support, and the sports equity support that’s available for men’s players and women’s players.

“There’s a huge need for that across both programmes because of the pressure that gets put on us as players, but also as female players, and balancing basically full time two full-time jobs.

“Having that specific sports-like role is so important because it best prepares you to perform one day. The engagement with PWR and the RPA is so harmonious. It’s a fantastic support network.”