Lilli Ives Campion: 'I’ve been trying to put less pressure on myself'

Life for Lilli Ives Campion and England’s Red Roses after their Women’s Rugby World Cup success has been a flurry of bucket list experiences.

Just last week the world champions attended Windsor Castle to be hosted by Catherine, Princess of Wales, went to 10 Downing Street and even hosted a Champions Ball to start 2026 with a trio of red carpet affairs.

But it was at the last red carpet event of 2025 that Ives Campion has some of the best memories. In Salford, at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, the 22-year-old and her international teammates gathered for the first time since they beat Canada at Allianz Stadium to claim a third-ever world crown.

That night in a rainy Greater Manchester the Red Roses were nominated for Team of the Year, while star full-back Ellie Kildunne was up for the big award, Sports Personality of the Year.

By the end of the ceremony Team Europe had pipped England to Team of the Year for their efforts at the Ryder Cup, while Kildunne finished as runner-up to Rory McIlroy in the public vote.

“I feel like the best part was probably the after-party,” Ives Campion told RugbyPass. “I think we bossed that after-party. Somehow Hannah (Botterman) got Angryginge to start singing.

“It was really cool to just be in that moment but also surrounded by so many crazy people – we had Alex Scott and Jess Glynne dancing with us. It was crazy.

“It was an incredible night. It was actually quite nostalgic. It was the first time we’ve all been able to get our hair and makeup done, put on outfits and feel really confident.

“We got a bus there and it was literally like any other bus ride we’d been on. We sang all our songs, we had the red carpet, and it was quite a surreal moment.

 

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“Then to see Ellie completely flourish, come second, we were all so proud of her and to really put rugby on the map.

“To see her speak the way she did, have such an impact on women’s rugby and women’s sport – she’s an amazing personality and she was able to show that.

“I couldn’t be more proud of her as a teammate, also one of my really good friends, seeing her completely flourish on stage in her interviews and just be completely, solely herself.”

“I did a lot of work on myself”

In the months since the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Ives Campion has been one of the standout performers for her club side, Loughborough Lightning.

The lock has started in all seven of her team’s Premiership Women’s Rugby games of the season so far and helped the side to fifth place in the league table as they entered the winter break.

Across those minutes on the pitch Ives Campion has racked up a series of impressive stats. Whether that is her 69 tackles, three turnovers, 41 carries for 82 metres made or her 34 lineouts won from the Lightning set piece.

Utilised for a total 89 minutes across the entirety of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, there are several obvious reasons that the 22-year-old has started the season brightly.

Months of conditioning ahead of the tournament have meant that Ives Campion was as fit as she ever had been heading into an English league season. Plus, the opportunity to get out on the turf and prove what she is capable of was mouthwatering.

It was also a first opportunity to put a refreshed mindset into action.

“I do feel like I did a lot of work on myself, in terms of who I am in the group and what my role was in the group,” she explained. “When you’re surrounded by some of the best players in the world, naturally you become more physical and you learn to adapt into that role.

“There was lots of stuff I wanted to get after in that period. It was a long time to be away – but also so many rugby sessions to do and so many things for you to get after, as well as helping the team.

 

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“Over that time, if I wasn’t playing, my first thought was, how do I prepare the team? My second thought was, what to get after this session to really feel confident and happy with that session.

“That’s kind of how I used the World Cup. Then coming back into the Prem was like, this is really what I want to get after now and in all these games, and in every single game I wanted to have a different kind of mindset.

“That’s really what I’ve been doing. I’ve been trying to put less pressure on myself and I feel way more relaxed playing. Rugby isn’t a relaxing game, but if you go into it with a more open mind, happy and relaxed, the better you play.

“I couldn’t be happier to be involved with this team. I feel like the team really brings out the best in me.”

That notion of internal pressure is an intriguing one. But also understandable.

Ives Campion was just 17 when she made her Loughborough debut. In the years since she has progressed from Loughborough College to Loughborough University, turning out for England age grade sides along the way.

Earmarked for Test rugby from an early age, she made her Red Roses debut aged 20 against France and currently has five senior caps. So, it is not difficult to see why an internal expectation grew.

“Last year, I knew the player I wanted to be – it was just like, how do I get there?” Ives Campion said. “I would put myself under a little bit of pressure in games by kind of forcing it too much rather than letting things come naturally.

“I try to really alleviate that and take all the pressures away. What will be will be. As long as I put my best self out there and do what I can do for the team, that’s ultimately a really big win.”

“Staying consistent”

So much as it is a cliché, there is plenty of truth in the fact that a new year brings new horizons.

Ives Campion was named in an England training squad in January that featured 30 of the 32-player squad that became world champions several months ago. Only retirees Emily Scarratt and Abby Dow were not included.

 

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There is very little doubt that Ives Campion harbours desires of more match minutes in an England jersey. To do it she has already developed a new mindset and started the domestic season on fire. Only good things should follow.

“I just really want to stay consistent,” Ives Campion said. “I just want to say consistent with how I’m playing, and I think that’s something really important; the more consistency you have, your performance level can rise because you know your roles every game.

“That, for me, in 2026 is really important – to have that consistency with what I am doing and every game having the same or more impact.

“Athletes always want to push on and be the best you can be. You really strive for the next goal. Because you’re an athlete you want to get a starting shirt, you want to do this and that. You need that mindset of what you want to do.

“I feel like I am in the mindset of doing what I can do on the weekend. If that gets me to where I want to, then perfect. I know I want to push on as much as I can, take what I can from games and progress as a rugby player. What will come will come.”

Lightning’s PWR season resumes on Sunday 1 February when Nathan Smith’s side travel to Gloucester Hartpury. Taking on the three-peat champions will be a good measure for the club as their semi-final ambitions seem set to only intensify.

Absent from the league’s top four since the 2020/21 season, the side have begun the quest to end that barren spell on a positive note with three wins, two losses and two draws.

With nine league games still to come – along with the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations between April and May – Ives Campion believes that Loughborough’s destiny remains firmly in the club’s hands.

“We would have loved to have finished top four (ahead of Christmas) and I think that if we’d got the win against Trailfinders (a dramatic 29-29 draw) that would have happened,” she said.

“It was a great game and a great test for us. I feel like we were tested in a way that we hadn’t been tested yet. We’ve been playing really, really well as a team and been really cohesive.

“What we’re excited about is that we have so much more room to grow and more areas in the game to get better. We want to be higher up the table, but we know that we have so much more that we can show.”