'Just turning up': Hannah Casey reflects on a mesmeric career

Those more eagle-eyed followers of Premiership Women’s Rugby will have noted the retirement of Hannah Casey from elite women’s rugby. For those who don’t recognise the name, you may have just missed a hugely pivotal player in the history of domestic English rugby.

It was a humble and unpretentious retirement, announced three weeks ago via a Facebook post from the Saracens Supporters Association. It reflects the person and player Casey is, a straightforward servant to rugby. She is an uncompromising, physical centre that imposed herself in the midfield, but is fun, friendly and laid back off the pitch.

She has stepped back from the elite level to focus on her full-time career in the Fire Service, after winning 121 caps for Saracens, international honours with Ireland in 7s and 15s and representing the historic Barbarians women’s team at Twickenham in 2019.

She started rugby like so many do, at school, before establishing herself in the higher leagues.

“We did 7s, so we were National School 7s Champions, and then linked with Fullerians back in the day at U15s and U16s,” Casey told RugbyPass. “But they didn’t have a women’s team so then I moved to Tabard RFC for a couple of seasons.

“It was actually Alex Austerberry [Saracens current Director of Women’s Rugby], he was a player there but coaching Saracens at the same time, who saw me and said you need to come to Sarries. So I’ve known Alex nearly 15 years.”

“I started playing in the 2s, because we had the twos team back in the day. Ross McLennan was the first team coach. But I was playing with the likes of like Maggie Alphonsi, Sonic [Sonia Green], Kat Evans. Mandy Marchak was there as well. She was a Canadian centre at the time. But like, I was like, ‘oh, I want to be like her’.”

It was from there that Casey went from strength to strength and ultimately achieved international honours for Ireland in both 7s and 15s after she was scouted through the Irish Exiles programme.

“Irish Exiles just turned up one day and then, yeah, I went over to Ireland and played Leinster and Munster in the same weekend, which was intense. And from there the coach went, yeah, we’ll take you. I played in the 7s, got dropped from them and then 15s picked me up. I played that Six Nations and stayed with them through the 2014 World Cup.”

Casey played in the quarter-final between England and Ireland, a Red Roses squad that went on to lift the trophy as champions.

Speaking on playing against her club teammates at Twickenham, the home of rugby, she said: “I played against Maggie Alphonsi, Nolli Waterman, Kat Merchant. I think Fleeto [Vicky Fleetwood] was playing, Packer [Marlie Packer] maybe back then. So they were all there, I was like, put me on. I’m ready.

“When we [Ireland] were going to play teams, they [the coaches] say ‘oh, they’ve got this player and this player’ – I’m like, I don’t care, whoever’s in front, it doesn’t matter, it’s just who’s in front. I don’t need to know how they play. I think ‘Am I going to get run over? Maybe’.”

It’s with this no-nonsense attitude that Casey earned herself the nickname ‘Choppa’ i.e. to chop one down. It is a moniker she has embraced on and off the pitch: “They [the spectators at Tabard RFC] kind of gave me the name because they were watching and I was a bit psychotic on the pitch and liked to tackle. So I think that’s where it came from, so I don’t know the proper reference, but like tackling, I think it goes well too.”

After a break from rugby following the 2014 World Cup, Casey would resume top flight rugby at Saracens and fulfil a hugely prolific career. From the period of 2011-2025, the club has transformed from the muddy pitches of Bramley Road to the domestic powerhouse that it is and integrated into the men’s set up.

Reflecting on how top division women’s rugby has changed over her career, Casey said” “Back in the day at Bramley Road, you’re sweeping the changing rooms, you’re doing your own kit, you’re paying to play, whereas now people are getting paid. So I think the progress in women’s rugby is amazing.”

 

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A post shared by Hannah Casey (@choppa__13)

When pressed about how the environment at Saracens has changed since professionalising, Casey offered: “Back in the day, at Sarries, it was like a ‘you played for each other’ type thing. And the through the years I feel like that has kind of changed, money starts and like the loyalty kind of changes a little bit.

“If a different club’s offering you more money, especially in this climate and as a female rugby player, go for it, go do it. So I think it kind of does take that loyalty, but then it’s the same with the men’s team or any other sport.”

Though this observation seemed less a criticism and more a reflection of how much the generations of elite players past had to band together to succeed in spite of the underfunding, exclusion and amateurism of their game as well as the loyalist Casey is herself.

Casey’s time at Saracens was highlighted by the 33-17 Premier 15s final win against Harlequins in 2019, where Casey started at outside centre alongside now household women’s rugby names like Zoe Harrison and Poppy Cleall.

This was a historic match for the women’s game at the time, the first women’s match to be held at Franklin’s Gardens. It also cemented the shift in how women’s top division rugby was run, with play-offs and a final introduced into the Premier 15s calendar in the 2017-2018 season.

She remembers this as one her favourite matches: “I always want to play the big games. Like, the ones where it’s hard and you have to fight for it. The ones where you win, like, 70-0, they’re all right. But I want to fight for the win. They’re the games because then you feel like you’ve accomplished something then. Because if it’s easy, it takes the shine away. If it’s a battle then you know.”

Reflecting on her decision to retire, Casey said: “Well it’s 15 years of your life, full on. There were no breaks, only when rugby had a break. Since then, I’ve travelled so much more. And in my career when I was playing, I just had a 9-5 boring job so I could get to training but getting older I actually wanted a career in something I can enjoy and really be proud of, so rugby has had to take a back foot.

“For younger players now it’s a brilliant opportunity that they can do this as a job which is crazy good but ten years ago we weren’t even in stadiums yet. I was aiming for 150 but I got to 121 and I liked that number and now I have it tattooed on my arm.”

Casey is by no means done with done with rugby. Whilst relaxed about her commitments to any future rugby clubs (including a potential Championship 1 South signing – eyebrows), she looks forward to the potential of playing with the Women’s Fire Service team.

She recognises that she is in an illustrious group of one of only a handful of Saracens players to receive 100 caps, when I asked what credited her success and longevity, in classic Choppa style, she shrugged and replied; “I don’t know, just turning up.”