'The classic one is always, are you a hooker? That is just so out of date. Unbelievable'
Rachael Burford isn’t one for comparing women’s rugby to the men’s game. After all, it’s forever like comparing apples and oranges. However, one thing is certain. That winning a World Cup will be a life-changing experience if Eddie Jones’ men’s side can get the job done next Saturday in Yokohama versus South Africa.
Burford knows from experience. It was five years ago in Paris when England’s women conquered the world and players who went to France as relative sports unknowns came home to embrace attention they never imagined getting.
“Initially there was a lot of coverage around it [the RWC win],” Burford told RugbyPass, thinking back to the balmy August Parisian evening when rivals Canada were beaten 21-9 at Stade Jean-Bouin eight days after the same two countries played out a 13-all draw in a pool-closing fixture.
“People wanted to know about you and hear your stories, you got invited to a lot of great places and met a lot of good people and those relationships have continued now. I think about the amount of events I got invited to speak at, that was massive, doing public speaking. Now I do all of that away from the pitch career-wise, so it opened up new doors and new challenges for me that are still going strong today.”
On Tuesday night, for instance, the 33-year-old veteran of four women’s World Cup campaigns was part of the television coverage for the new RugbyX tournament that took place in London. Nice exposure for her at the end of a month where her academy is busy over the school half-term and she herself only recently returned to playing for table-topping Harlequins following a lengthy lay-off with hamstring surgery.
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The bottom line is that after so many years of blood, sweat and tears trying to be the best she could be as an amateur, rugby is paying the bills despite the recent setback of her injury being a contributory factor to her not being included in the latest list of 28 players centrally contracted full-time by the RFU for 2019/20.
“I have done so many different types of jobs,” she recalled. “I have been a multi-sport coach, a personal trainer, a sales assistant, a nanny, I worked part-time as a nanny during the 2010 World Cup just so that I could have the afternoons and evenings to myself. Just an array of stuff like that.
“For the majority of my life my career was always rugby and I just did work to facilitate being a rugby player. It was worth it,” she said before explaining the decision surrounding the launch of her own rugby academy. “There was lots of worries initially. It was kind of, I needed to have something to help supplement being a full-time player because you never knew when you were going to get your next contract or you weren’t.
Insane night! What a spectacle @RugbyXOfficial was!!! We had it all! Awesome to work with the pro’s @benshephard and @ugomonye and all of the @ITVRugby crew. #RugbyX #heretostay https://t.co/R1o27aFhg8
— Rachael Burford (@RachaelBurf12) October 30, 2019
“I wanted to have something on the side and at the time I was doing it on my own and not really sure it was a jump for me to take. It just took a couple of people to actually believe in me and say, ‘Yes, I think the content is really good’. I just threw myself into it and now it has been a really good success.”
Burford is one of many role models for aspiring young girls growing up nowadays looking to get involved in the sport, a situation that simply didn’t exist when she first picked up the ball aged six and went on to spend 10 years learning the game at Medway.
Filling the void were the likes of Mickey Skinner, an early 90s bulwark on the England men’s scene. “I just remember watching as a young kid him making the crunch tackles,” she explained. “Dan Luger also visited my rugby club, but no women ever did. That is another factor, all the England girls are now big role models and they get out to all the clubs, work with schools and things like that to try and inspire the next generation.
didi rugby has launched a partnership with the @BurfAcademy.
See why @vixter15 and @RachaelBurf12 have joined forced to get more children having fun and enjoying rugby.https://t.co/2ttRZjMH3Y
— @didirugby (@didi_rugby1) August 19, 2019
“If you go back to when I was younger I didn’t really know what was going on in an international sense, never mind imagining the idea of it being full-time. That would have been quite remarkable. It is inspiring that more girls and women around the world and the country now see rugby can be a profession.
“It can be a full-time job it they want it to be. You now have this opportunity whereas if you rewind five years ago that would not have been the case. It is a great mindset and a great place to be. Hopefully, we can improve year on year.”
With it, some terrible sexist attitudes that surrounded the women’s game have been confronted and are being eradicated. “The classic one is always, ‘are you a hooker?’ That is just so out of date. Unbelievable. The difference? If you’re sat at a table and one bloke says it, it is actually the other people at the table who will say, ‘mate, that is not okay, that is not where the game is now’.
? Re-live Saturday's drama by taking a look back at all six of our tries from our match against Loughborough Lightning! #COYQ pic.twitter.com/rZyCg3v8JT
— Harlequins Women ? (@HarlequinsWomen) October 28, 2019
“It is rare now that you hear it but it is still out there. They think they are cracking a joke and having a bit of banter, but it is really poor banter,” she explained, calling on those sceptical about women’s rugby to come and take in a Tyrrells Premier 15s match over the winer.
“Come and challenge your own perception. Come down and see what is on offer. The skill level is actually always commented on compared to the men because it is a little higher – we don’t have that brute strength and speed, so we have to be a little bit better technically.
“Just come and take an opportunity to challenge yourself in what you think women’s rugby is. Our skill levels have to be higher because you haven’t got 110-kilo players running around in our sport, using just brute strength to get through.
The scores on the doors ahead of the international break make good reading for @HarlequinsWomen and @SaracensWomen who are separated by just ONE point ?
Who is going to be the first to slip up ? #Premier15s pic.twitter.com/yWKFaPmnEX
— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) October 26, 2019
“You have got to be a little more agile and a little more thinking on your feet. That side of it complements our game,” ventured the Harlequins skipper whose optimism for the success of the elite club league in England isn’t mirrored by her current outlook for the sport at Test level where there is a growing gap between certain countries.
“If we are honest the imbalance is already there,” she said. “If you look at Six Nations, England are very far ahead and that is not England’s responsibility to make other internationals in other unions to try and catch up and come up to speed with them.
“Unions have to take responsibility for what they do in their domestic game and what they are doing with their international game. What we don’t want to do as a club [Harlequins] and as a country [England] is just sit still and wait. We want to keep pushing on and push the limits as much as we can.”
WATCH: The acclaimed RugbyPass documentary Saracens Women – Going Pro, which takes a behind the scenes look at their 2018/19 Tyrrells Premier 15s title defence
Comments on RugbyPass
Good summation Ned. Agree the Canes were out-muscled for once (except at the scrum!) by a focused Brumbies outfit. Tua deserves consideration for higher honors after the way he humbled Jordie and the Canes defense. Thankfully, his lack of eligibility for Oz keeps him from Joe’s plans. While I also agree the injuries affected the Canes performance, some players seemed to lack focus and intensity for this match. Perhaps after the Blues demolished the Brumbies, they thought it was going to be easy? A good reminder that any slip up in preparation can have a big affect on the result. Brumbies deserved that win.
1 Go to commentsKarl Dixon should never have been appointed this fixture, absolute disgrace, He’s not much of a referee anyway, didn't have the balls to send his mate care off
5 Go to commentsBrilliant article! Harry of 8/9
1 Go to comments‘UK athletes' have been in the NFL from the start.
1 Go to commentsIt’s going to be Scott Barrett. He’s the coaches mate and captain of a previously elite team. Ardie a great option but scooter has worked with the coach and Ardie still as big a leader as needed.
23 Go to commentsI commend Colin Scotts bio All Balls. He was the first Aussie to make it to NFL. But he was poached and did a full apprenticeship at the University of Hawaii. He was 130kgs surfed played 1st grade cricket etc. big guy by normal but not NFL standards and a top athlete. Even then the nfl were picking up Tongans and Samoans for their natural size and explosive power. They want explosive power not cardio from the big boys so a guy like Taniela Tupou would have been good if picked up young enough. He has fast twitch and they’d bulk the little lad up and give him something to do. soccer teams set up academies and look for Over Sara’s talent eg Messi was at Barcelona since a teenager and harry kewell went to Leeds as a teenager like 16 or something.
11 Go to commentsThe article alludes to the fact that this isn’t about picking a captain. But picking a great captain. So who would make for a great All Black captain - not just an obvious or safe shoo-in? I’m not sure Ardie’s the guy and Barret doesn’t stand out either.
23 Go to commentsI guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
45 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
5 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
45 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
45 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
5 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
8 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
2 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
8 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
5 Go to comments