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Helena Rowland: Sidestepping into England's number 10 jersey

By Lucy Lomax
Helena Rowland breaks away from Les Elder of New Zealand during the Autumn International between England Red Roses and New Zealand at Franklin's Gardens on November 07, 2021 in Northampton, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

If you’ve been watching women’s domestic or international rugby over the past few months no doubt you’ll have spotted Helena Rowland. An out and out playmaker, someone who makes things happen on the pitch, her footwork has been rewarded with brilliant tries whilst playing as part of an exciting 10/12 axis for both club and country.

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Since England’s talismanic number ten Katy Daley-Mclean announced her retirement in December 2020, the conversation switched to who will be the player to supersede the jersey. Many singled out the younger players Zoe Harrison and Rowland.

The pair have exchanged the starting ten shirt multiple times since then, but Harrison got the nod more recently for England’s three Autumn internationals including the two games against the world champion Black Ferns (and shining throughout). Despite this, Rowland was given the opportunity at inside centre, a position she played more of during her school days, but believes the fly-half door is still wide open.

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“I wasn’t anticipating that I’d play a lot of 12 in the Autumns,” said the 22-year-old. “There was a bit of a last-minute change going into the first New Zealand game. The morning before the game our backs coach Scott Bemand pulled me aside and said ‘just so you know, you might go on at 12 today’. I hadn’t trained there at all, so I was trying to get my head around what I needed to do in the centres, desperately trying to think of all the moves of what 12 does, what rucks I needed to hit, where I needed to be, and then after that game I sat down with Mids (England Head Coach Simon Middleton) and he said I was going to get game time at ten at some point in the Autumn and that he still very much sees me as a fly-half.

“Up until last November I’d played all my games for England at fly-half and I mostly play ten for Loughborough. But I enjoy playing 12 as it gives you that little bit more freedom and time on the ball and it’s great to be part of that 10/12 axis where both of you can step up and be first receiver as myself and Helen Nelson do for Lightning. Playing 12 sees you do a lot more tackling defensively which was a bit of a shock over the Autumns but I enjoyed it!

“Ultimately, with the ten jersey it’s whoever is performing best at the time gets the shirt, which is how it should be and only pushes us to be better.”

The departure of Daley-Mclean from both Loughborough Lightning and England brought an opening for Rowland who left Saracens for the East Midlands club in September 2020 after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was postponed.

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“The decision was made by speaking to the coaches both Rhys Edwards and Mids who both said there was a massive opportunity to play ten with Katy having left, so that was probably the main reason I moved, plus I could combine it with being a sport science student and also it’s a great set up in Loughborough and they play an exciting brand of rugby which was something I was keen to explore.”

The style of rugby played was a selling point for Rowland who has become known for her sizzling sidestep, dazzling opposition and ruining defences with ball in hand, as seen last weekend in her try from outside the 22 against Saracens. A skillset for which she praises her time in the England Sevens set up.

“I’d say the sidestep and foot work has always been a part of my game and the bit I enjoy most is the opportunity to take people on one-on-one and back yourself whilst doing it, and that’s how I get to play at Loughborough in the back field, especially on the counterattack.

“Sevens helped massively with my confidence, there’s not a lot of structure in sevens, it’s all centred around can you beat your opposite number and the amount of training and one on ones that was built into our week definitely helped my ability to step and take people on.

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“I noticed coming back into the 15s side of the game how much more confident I was to challenge the line and run at people and force defenders to make a decision, which is definitely the part of my game I enjoy most. It’s also potentially a bit different to how other tens play at Loughborough and England, I pride myself on more of a running game, than for instance the kicking side.”

The Tokyo Olympian admits taking inspiration from the men’s game and a particular fly-half who plays a similar brand of rugby.

“Watching Marcus Smith and the way he takes on the line and puts other people into space is definitely something I look at. It’s just something a bit different, he’s forming a new kind of ten where your head is up, playing what you see and it’s very instinctive. He’s someone I look at and try to learn from.”

So how does Rowland view the ongoing dream to wear England’s number ten as the World Cup creeps ever closer?

“I try not to read too much into the head to heads you see between me and Zoe in the media. Katy Daley-Mclean left massive boots to fill and her retirement did give us a massive opportunity to try and stake a claim for that shirt but I try to focus on my game and whatever happens with selection happens.

“I try not to get too caught up in the hype of who’s the next fly-half for England!”

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Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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