How Leicester-bound Grace Freeman battled back from 450 days of injury torment

In a Super Rugby Women’s season that has seen surprise results and a plethora of new stars rise, Grace Freeman’s time on the park has been special to note.

The 25-year-old has packed it in across her short career so far, and is set to experience new heights in the coming months after she was recently unveiled as a new signing for Leicester Tigers in Premiership Women’s Rugby and makes it no secret that she hopes to make her debut for the Wallaroos sooner rather than later.

The Western Force fly-half has played a big part in the side finishing second in the 2026 regular season, the highest finish they’ve achieved in their history so far and earning their first ever home semi-final.

Her success is even more impressive when you consider 2026 marked a return from a 450-day stint on the sidelines, after a foot injury she picked up against the Fijian Drua in 2024.

However, with her family originally from New Zealand, Freeman knows the game when it comes recovering from setbacks in rugby, and found a good place to bounce back in Western Australia.

“Like [most] families from New Zealand, rugby, it’s in our blood,” Freeman said to RugbyPass. “Not just playing, but also like connection, being down at the club from about five or six years old, every Saturday, training in the week. It’s been a big connection piece throughout my life.

“To be over at the Western Force, with the first full-time programmes of any team in Australia, means I can continue having rugby at the forefront of my life. I’m very privileged to be able to do that, to have this as my full-time job.

“After having an injury, you realise how important it is to have all the other stuff in your life. Having rugby as my focus has been awesome, but [I’m] making sure that I have things outside of rugby to keep me going when there’s ups and downs.”

The journey back from injury was a tough one for Freeman. The fly-half also picking up a hip stress reaction in Wallaroos camp that put her out of action for another six months.

While being signed on with the Wallaroos programme proved a vote of confidence, getting back to the park was still a journey for her, both physically and mentally.

“Any player that has been through an injury, long or short, knows that like there’s so much doubt coming back,” Freeman explained.

“It was tough mentally, but with the Force, I saw Dylan Parsons, our head coach, and I was doing a lot of seated passing, seated high ball catching, coordination.

“I met up with Ian Prior to do some chats about visualisation. If I can’t be on the field walking, there’s lots of other stuff that you can do.

“Throughout my 450 days, all I wanted to do was play and I get to do that now – to be happy, to be confident and just to enjoy the game has been a real focus in these last few weeks.”

Freeman will be focused on the Force’s finals campaign, which will see the WA side look to defeat the Waratahs in Perth and make it to the final for the first time ever.

 

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With news circulating around the new changes afoot in the Wallaroos programme, Freeman knows a strong performance will only further push her case as she puts her hat in the ring for national honours.

She has her work cut out already, competing for the starting fly-half role with the likes of Tia Hinds, Faitala Moleka, Waiaria Ellis and Nicole Ledington, among others.

“The Wallaroos are a great programme and I think what’s ahead looks really important,” Freeman said.

“It’s crucial for keeping girls in rugby union and allowing the girls that are in rugby union to be full-time athletes. We still have people juggling families and jobs and we know that’s a big sacrifice for them.

“A full-time programme will only help a lot of us become even better athletes, better players. It’s really exciting seeing the future and I’m super excited to hopefully one day get to pull on that jersey and play international footy.

“It’s been a goal for a long time and there’s been some things stopping me from doing that a couple of times. [But], hopefully have a good season here and just keep building.”

Freeman has been looking ahead to her upcoming spell in PWR. Her name is among several Australians, most recently Caitlyn Halse, who are set to go over and play for Leicester Tigers.

Having been a fan of the competition for a number of years, Freeman has singled several players she’s keen to not only learn off to develop her craft, but play against as she builds towards becoming a Wallaroo.

“I’ve watched the PWR for quite a few years and I’ve really enjoyed the quality that they produce,” Freeman said.

“It’s no secret that England is number one. You see it with the crowds, you see it at the Red Roses games.

“To just be a part of games that can build a lot of chat, a lot of momentum, a lot of people around, that’s going to be awesome.

“Meg Jones is awesome. I love watching her play and I’m excited to play against her.

“Playing with the best, alongside the best, is my goal. As a game driver, actually playing games is where I can get a lot of my learnings. Super W season [is] not so long so with that, a small injury can put you out for the whole season.

“Developing a skill set, playing alongside Boo [Tabua Tuinakauvadra], playing alongside Halley [Derera], J-Mac [Jemima McCalman] and many others in that Tigers group is going to be awesome, great combinations.

“It’s loads of rounds so while there’s pressure to win games, there’s also that freedom that comes with knowing that we’ve got so many more games to play and we’ve got so much growth that can still happen.

“To be able to go onto a field and play against the best in the world is a privilege and I’m really excited to get over there. I’m not sure about the weather, especially coming from Perth, but I’m sure I’ll be all right.

“I’m really looking forward to that and bringing what I learned back to Australia, just to keep pushing myself and the others around me to just make Aussie rugby as good as it can be.”