Liz Crake: 'I’ve been there, done it, made mistakes, had big decisions'

“I didn’t necessarily see, bigger, stronger women, growing up,” Liz Crake commented, as she sheltered from the sweltering London sun.

Crake is gearing up for the Premiership Women’s Rugby Final, at the Twickenham Stoop, and pulls up the itinerary for Sunday’s clash between Saracens and Trailfinders Women.

“It’s supposed to be 26,” she noted, scrolling through her phone. “Light rain showers possible, and some wind.”

Making the league’s ‘Battle of The Best’ decider is a scenario Crake would have hoped for when she returned to Saracens, from Trailfinders, at the start of the season. This was the club where it all started at 15. Crake would ultimately make a name for herself at Wasps, taking on the captaincy there, before the club’s financial woes forced her to look elsewhere.

The loosehead’s form, this season, led to an England recall. She made it off the bench at the Stade Atlantique, in Bordeaux, when victory over France ensured another Guinness Women’s Six Nations title and Grand Slam. Those topics, and more, were covered but one important aspect of Crake’s story that deserves attention is her social media game.

Since rejoining Sarries, the 31-year-old has upped her online presence, shared tales from an engrossing journey, spoke honestly about juggling her career with rugby, tough moments and promoting body positivity.

“I was on social media, quite early, and always wanted to post more, but never really did too much,” she said. “I don’t know, it felt too cringy to do, when I was growing up. So, I just braved it when I got my England contract. My thinking was that I would have more of a potential platform.

“But that didn’t work too well, and I dropped out of some squads. I had to keep pushing through it. I am quite an introverted person but being active on social media gives me more of a connection with fans.

“Also, I’m at an age, now, where I’ve been there, done it, made mistakes, had big decisions. Had experience with contracts and juggling other commitments. I’ve been through stuff that, ideally, I don’t want younger athletes to go through. To me, it’s important to have that platform, a message, and to try and spread it, so younger generations don’t fall for the same things I did.”

Crake has used her platform to address past, and present, issues she deals with, over body shape, cellulite and adhering to diets.

“I really struggled with body image, when I was younger,” she admitted. “I had lots of issues with eating. Luckily, I just got into rugby before it became anything too serious, that I couldn’t get out of it. Suddenly, I was like, ‘Oh, actually, I’m really good at this because I’m bigger than these girls’.”

Crake recalls watching America’s Next Top Model, in her teenage years, and how much being slim was a key part of the aspiring model’s journeys. There was an episode that shocked her, when a model squatted beside a mirror for a pose and did not have the strength to stand back up.

“Obviously,” she said, “I never thought that would be me. But I was still admiring these tiny, tiny people. And there’s nothing wrong with being tiny, but I didn’t necessarily see, bigger, stronger women, growing up.

“When I was at school and my friends would be talking about weight, or their bodies, they would say, ‘but you’ve got muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat’. I would have been thinking to myself that I didn’t look too muscly.

“I never ended up needing to speak with anyone about my eating, but I definitely knew what I was doing was not healthy. I was actively choosing to eat very little. I remember my mum talked to me about it once, because I started taking the egg yolks out of my eggs and only eating the whites.

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“That’s when she first thought, okay, there’s something going on here. But, as I said, that coincided with me starting rugby. I’ve always been competitive so getting into rugby lent quite well into that side of me, in terms of building strength and muscle.”

“On social media,” Crake added, “we’ve had this wave of positivity, body acceptance and more curvy or larger-framed women becoming a bit more desired. Now, I feel, we’re getting back into this skinny, toxic kind of way of thinking, again. So, I think it is more important than ever to keep up that positive role model element.”

Crake is a fully qualified dentist and points out that 60% of current PWR stars are juggling job, and studies, with their rugby careers. At present, she works at the University in Bristol, teaching dentistry. Those trips from London to Bristol happen twice a week, then she works between two dental practices – Tuesday morning and a full day on Wednesday. That is three-and-a-half days, and a fair bit of travelling, as well as being a Saracens and England player.

“In some ways,” she reflected, “dentistry has benefited me quite a lot, in that I haven’t always had to work full-time hours and, when I need, can cut back and live on a smaller wage. In other ways, it has held me back. I can’t cancel patients on a days’ notice.

“For example, in this year’s Six Nations, I was supposed to start a new job, the day after I was called in to training camp. I had to change my working plans, and it was a difficult conversation to have. It is inconvenient for your bosses.

“When I was first called into England camp, back when I was around 24, I went in for the first few weeks. Going into that fourth week, my boss, at the time, made it really difficult for me. Essentially, the way it works in NHS, they could take money back from me. So, I would have had to pay if I didn’t hit this target. I had a tough choice and could not go into England camp, so I could go into work. It was three years before I got an opportunity, with England, like that again.”

Saracens, Crake points out, are understanding of how she, and others, must balance rugby and their other careers.

“It’s very difficult now,” she said. “You almost have to choose, one or the other. I came through at a time where I could have both, but it’s now getting harder. If I was younger and trying to get into rugby now, I’d basically have to live at home and work in a café, if I really wanted to pursue it.”

Crake admits she was ‘very upset and probably bitter’ about losing her England contract at the end of 2023.

“I really struggled,” she said. “I kind of accepted that I’d probably never get called up again and I’d completely lost that opportunity. I was able to accept it that bit easier because I was having a good season at Sarries, and was enjoying it. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m not a bad rugby player. I’m good at this. I just had a bad year’. In the back of my head, I wanted to prove a point.

“I was in a good place but I still freaked out when I got the text message about coming back into camp. I was in the gym with the other Sarries girls and was showing them the phone – ‘What do I do? Oh my God!’

“It felt like some vindication. I told myself I’d worked so hard for this and if I’m just going in to hold a tackle pad, at least it’s me they’ve called to do that. I went in with a completely different mindset – I’m not here to prove I should be playing, I’m just here to enjoy the experience, and everything else is a bonus. Saying that, when you do get in there, that changes. You’re thinking, ‘I want to play!’”

In time, Crake did get to play, and add to the two England caps she won in 2023. Kelsey Clifford’s injury elevated the Saracens loosehead from non-playing reserve for the Championship decider against France, to back up Mackenzie Carson.

“My partner and I had talked about the game, the week before,” she commented. “As it was looking like I wouldn’t be in the team, we decided he would stay in work, and not travel over.

“I found out I would be involved on the Tuesday, and messaged him, ‘Fancy a trip to France?!’ It was crazy for him, as he had to book flights and hotel, as did my parents. He took them all around Bordeaux, ahead of the game. The atmosphere was crazy, too. I had never played an away international, aside from those games with the Baa Baas.”

“Mum and dad [Joanne and Mark] have always been mega supportive,” Crake added. “I wanted to play for England as soon as I picked up a rugby ball. They never once made it seem like it was unrealistic. When I was with Saracens Under 18s, they would always drive me – more than a two-hour round trip – and sit in the car, when we were at Bramley Road.

“They’ve seen the journey that I’ve been on, how low I had got, and where I’m at now. It was nice for all of them, that trip to France, bless them. I think they really enjoyed it.”

This Sunday’s PWR Final will be another memorable experience for Crake, her partner and family. Sport often throws up twists, and it was Trailfinders that arranged a reunion with Crake when they stunned Gloucester Hartpury, the reigning champions, in the last four.

“The girls were lovely when I was there,” she says. “I still chat to a few of them, every so often. A few of the girls that I was close with have also left. It will be all nice and handshakes at the end but, until then, it’s competition. Game-time. Yeah, nothing too friendly.”

Added motivation for Sarries will be to try give a winning send-off to departing players, headlined by Rosie Galligan and Marlie Packer.

“Saracens have been the most successful women’s team across all iterations of this league,” Crake said, “so, the fact that it has been a little while since their last win [in 2022], it has been gnawing at them. We’ve had a good season and played really well. We are stacked with world-class players, so it is important that we finish the season with a win.

“It is a shame Marlie is leaving. She has been at the club so long. The entire time she has been in the league, she has been at the top of her game. You can’t think of the women’s professional game and not think of Marlie. Looking ahead to that [British & Irish] Lions tour to New Zealand, I may be a bit biased but she has to go. If she is not selected, that would be absolutely savage. She deserves it for everything she has done, and is still doing. She is such a leader, too.

“Marlie said it in our huddle, after the semi-final, that she wants to win the Premiership, and do it with this team, in our last game together as this group.”

Trailfinders will be looking at this final as a shot to nothing, and a chance to really tip the PWR on its head.

“They are on a winning streak,” Crake said, “and have potentially played their best rugby in the last couple of games. They have earned the right to be there.

“We have to be on our own game. We’re trying to focus more on what we can do and what we can get right, because we’re of the opinion that when we get everything right, there’s not a team in this league that can stand up to us.

“That’s our main thing. They have some players, like Meg [Jones], that can make something out of nothing. That’s why they call her Magic Meg. Still, we just want to focus on our performance, and make sure it is worthy of that trophy.”