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Rocky Clark: 'I was purple at halftime. It went by so fast.'
By Adam Julian
When Rochelle Clark retired from international rugby in 2018, she held the record for the most capped female international player of all time, with 137 tests and 112 wins.
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Additionally, she was the most capped English player, surpassing her hero Jason Leonard, who played 114 tests. In 2015 Clark received an MBE, a year after what she described as the “best day of my life,” when she helped the Red Roses win the Rugby World Cup in 2014.
In September 2025 she became the 175th inductee into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. The announcement was made by fellow inductee and longtime teammate Maggie Alphonsi in a heartfelt, emotional video shared on social media.
Shortly after receiving this prestigious accolade, England defeated Canada 33-13 in front of a world record crowd of 81,885 at Allianz Stadium to claim a third Rugby World Cup title.
Clark’s England journey began in 2003 when she made her test debut, and although there were few signs of her eventual resilience, she recalled: “I played ten minutes in my first cap against Canada. I played 50 minutes in the second test, and I thought I’d be the first female player to die on a rugby field.
“I was purple at halftime. It went by so fast. It felt like standing on a motorway with everyone driving at you. I was only there because of an injury. I was a rough, round, raw youngster.
“That first tour was traumatic, but it inspired me to get fit and lose some weight. At the peak of my career, I had the fitness of a back-row player. You can see how much the game has changed by looking at team photos. The shapes around the edges have all but disappeared.”
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That first tour also gifted Clark her famous nickname, Rocky, as she received her cap in the Canadian Rockies. Born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, she was the youngest of three siblings from an unsporting family. Tragically, when Clark was 11, her father passed away suddenly and rugby became her outlet for grief.
“I had a lot of friendship groups, including some who were getting into trouble,” she said. “When I was 15, a friend asked me to come and play rugby. I initially refused due to fears of getting injured, but they were short on numbers, and I felt sorry for them. I had an absolute blast learning the game.
“There are still things I’m affected by today, but rugby was the perfect answer for me. I found an escape and was able to channel my frustrations into tackling. Rugby kept me on the straight and narrow.”
By age 16, she was playing senior rugby for Henley alongside another future England centurion in Tamara Taylor. While studying sports science and coaching at The College of St. Mark and St. John (now Plymouth Marjon University) she played for Clifton. Blaydon was so impressed with her talent that they flew her to and from Heathrow to Newcastle for training and games.
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After a challenging start with the England team, Clark secured her place as a first-choice player for the remainder of 2004 and 2005.
France won the Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam in each of those seasons, but in 2006 the Red Roses turned the tables as they defeated France 27-8 at that year’s Rugby World Cup. England made the final, narrowly losing a thriller against New Zealand, despite scoring a penalty try from a scrum. France would remain a formidable foe.
“The French are as tough as nails, yet they can also play creatively,” Clark said. “Sometimes we’d win by a point or France would edge us out. The challenge with France was that you had to give everything you had. I’d much prefer that experience to a 50-point thrashing where you just watch the backs score tries.
“We played in small towns I never knew existed, places with no pubs but where promotion of the game was evident with posters in shop windows. It was both wonderful and intimidating to see such support. We’d get booed and there would be horns blaring. One time, they even let cockerels run onto the field.”
Clark played in four tests against France that were decided by just a single point. In 2010, England won in Châteaurenard (population less than 20,000) with a score of 16-15 after “defending our line for 20 minutes”.
She celebrated her 50th test in the opening match of the 2010 Rugby World Cup, where England defeated Ireland 27-0.
A year earlier at Twickenham Stadium, England had triumphed over New Zealand 10-3 during a remarkable 23-game unbeaten streak, raising hopes that it was England’s time to win the World Cup for the first time since 1994. However, they fell short as the Black Ferns claimed victory in the final, 13-10, despite having three players yellow-carded.
“That was really tough. New Zealand played an incredible game, shutting down our threats and not allowing us to play,” she said. “They rattled us. New Zealand’s physicality is not as overt as France’s, but they are extremely skilled. I also love the New Zealand rugby culture – you see kids tackling each other or kicking a rugby ball in parks. Rugby is always on TV and clubs take care of you like family.”
Between 2011 and 2012, England managed to measure up against the Black Ferns as they won five tests and drew one. New Zealand tightheads Mel Ngati (now Bosman), Moana Aiatu, Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox and Kathleen Wilton were all outmuscled during this period.
Nobody would outmuscle England at the 2014 Rugby World Cup in France. After a surprising draw with Canada in pool play, England went on to dismantle Ireland in the semi-finals. Remarkably, Ireland had previously eliminated New Zealand.
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In the final, Canada again provided stiff resistance, but The Guardian reported: “England gradually broke down their opponents, edging forward mechanically until the mistake from Canada arrived.”
“That was the best day of my life,” Clark recalled. “Relief was the first emotion. I dropped to my knees and thought, ‘We’ve done it, we’ve bloody done it.’ The elation came later.”
The team, comprising plumbers, vets, teachers, police officers, and students – most of whom took three months of unpaid leave for the tournament – eventually won the BBC Sports Team of the Year award. Some of the perks for Clark included attending the Windsor races, Wimbledon, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion concerts, and meeting Prince Harry.
The accolades continued in 2015. Clark was awarded an MBE and played her 100th Test against France at Twickenham.
England lost that match 21-15, with Jessy Trémoulière, named Women’s 15s Player of the Decade by World Rugby via a worldwide public vote in 2021, delivering an outstanding performance. Clark maintained that the loss didn’t detract from the occasion, and it brought her in touch with a “hero”.
“Jason Leonard presented me with my cap,” she said. “He was such a legend. I really looked up to him. I loved how good a scrummager he was. He was such a nice man, too.”
Clark matched Leonard as England’s most capped international player when she played her 114th test against Ireland at University College Dublin, in 2016. Leonard celebrated her achievement with a magnum of champagne, which tasted even sweeter after a thrilling 12-10 victory in which Clark scored one of her 24 test tries.
Clark’s try tally is double that of male world record holder Martin Castrogiovanni, who scored a dozen tries in 119 tests for Italy.
“I never cared much for scoring tries, but obviously it’s nice to get them,” Clark said. “If there is a try that stands out, it’s one where I had gone over to bridge a player with the ball.
“I went in with straight legs and no technique when I realised the ball was over the line, and all I had to do was touch it. It was the ugliest try in test rugby. I can’t even remember who I scored it against.”
A memorable moment came with a 29-21 win against the Black Ferns in June 2017 in Rotorua. Clark described the performance as one of the best by an English team.
“The game management was outstanding,” she beamed. “Everyone knew their job and stuck to it. As usual, it was a physical game, but New Zealand struggled to reach our level that day. Katy Daley-McLean’s tactical kicking was a masterclass.”
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However, two months later, the Black Ferns produced their own masterclass, winning the Rugby World Cup final against England 41-32 after trailing at halftime. Tighthead prop Toka Natua scored a hat-trick and Clark, who came off the bench, described her as a “beast”.
The final was a landmark occasion for women’s rugby as both countries went fully professional shortly after the tournament. English coach Simon Middleton remarked at the time: “This team has been outstanding this year; we’ve had a fantastic year with what we’ve achieved. We’ve come up short tonight, that’s for sure. But we’ve played everyone, and until tonight, we’ve been successful. They’ve set a standard and moved the game forward. It was a fantastic game for the spectators to watch.”
Clark played her 137th and final test in a 33-11 win against Ireland on 16 March 2018, in Coventry. She reflected on what it took to be a great prop: “The key is having an attacking mindset in the scrum. You must be physical and aggressive, willing to take on anyone and make your opposition as uncomfortable as legally possible.
“I loved the confrontation. High-collision carries were my strength. I was never going to give you a 40-metre burst, but I could provide a quick platform, pick and go strongly, and put some big hits in defence.”
Retirement from international rugby was challenging for Clark.
“I experienced a bit of a crisis of identity after I retired,” she said. “Everything I had known was suddenly gone. Retiring is challenging, and people often don’t discuss it. Rugby was something I had lived and breathed for 20 years, so stepping away from it was difficult to cope with.”
After international retirement the personal trainer continued to play domestically. In 2022, she served as the player-coach of Saracens, and helped them to an Allianz Premier 15s (now Premiership Women’s Rugby) win with an impressive 18-2 record. In the final, Saracens defeated Exeter 43-21. She previously won a English domestic title with Worcester (Valkyries) in 2012/13.
She remains fully involved in rugby as a player/coach to the Buckingham Swans and works as a sports coach at Bedford Modern School and as an occasional commentator. Sarah Hunter, who passed Clark’s Test tally at the 2021 Rugby World Cup (played in 2022) and is now Red Roses defence coach, paid tribute.
“Rocky brought the girls together. She was a leader on and off the field. She influenced a generation of Red Roses and was a force of nature in the scrums.”
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