'The latest part of a crazy journey': Paige Anastacia on England Deaf Rugby's South Africa tour

Most Scottish-based female players below the professional level are currently cranking up their pre-season training ahead of the new campaign beginning later this month, but Stirling County’s Paige Anastacia is heading to South Africa for the tour of a lifetime.

Today [August 1] West of Scotland’s Bex Francis and Anastacia will be travelling south to meet up with the rest of the 27-strong England Deaf Rugby Union women’s squad to then head out from Heathrow to Johannesburg.

Given that two years ago Anastacia did not even know that deaf rugby existed, it is perhaps no surprise she calls this “the latest part of a crazy journey”.

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“Every rugby player, whatever standard you are or wherever you are from, wants the chance to one day play in the rugby hotbed that is South Africa so that you can test yourself there – and now that I am getting the chance to do it I am very excited about it,” Anastacia, who turns 30 today and who mainly plays in the front row but will do a job wherever she is asked, said.

“When I was playing at my previous club Heriot’s my then coach Lucy Brown [who now coaches in Wales] had seen something about England Deaf Rugby Union and she sent it on to me.

“At first I thought ‘I’m quite happy playing club rugby and doing what I am doing’, but then Lucy told me that she had already put me forward to try it out and I thought ‘let’s give it a go’.

“I went down to training and trialled effectively in September 2022 and then was able to get involved in some matches with the squad.

“I really enjoyed the experience and then I was called up to the England squad for the World Deaf Rugby Sevens World Cup in Cordoba, Argentina, in April last year.

“When I heard the news that I had been selected I was just so proud and it was great to be able to tell my mum and my husband who have always supported me.

“Most people who know me in the rugby world in Scotland will know I’m not your stereotypical sevens player, but it was great to test out my skills in that environment and being able to represent England alongside some new pals in such an amazing country as Argentina on that stage had me hooked.

“I had to save up quite a bit of money to make this South Africa trip feasible and I can’t thank my sponsor BizLine enough for making it a possibility – and I will now be grabbing this opportunity with both hands.”

Anastacia, who helped Stirling County win the Scottish Premiership last season, has been involved in the England Deaf set-up for 23 months now and she and her teammates are looking forward to playing three fixtures against a South African select team in the coming days.

 

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With an England Deaf men’s squad also going to South Africa – playing sevens and 10s against the hosts, Japan, Australia and possibly a XVs game against a club team – it is a great opportunity to help the ever-expanding South African Deaf Rugby Association grow more.

“There are a whole range of people in the England Deaf squad from those with low-level hearing loss right the way through to people who are profoundly deaf,” Anastacia, who grew up in Teesside in the northeast of England and now lives in Dunipace north of the border, continues.

“We have all been brought together because our hearing loss qualifies us to be here and we have all had different journeys and have had different challenges, but the main thing is that we all love rugby and we find a way to make it work.

“As well as really nailing down the basics as a group and working on teamwork, we have also learnt about each individual and how their hearing loss impacts the way they can play. It can be chaotic at times – what rugby squad or match isn’t? – but it has really drummed into us how much accuracy is key.

“And finding out the stories around some of my teammates has been an inspiration while coming together as England gives us real pride.”

Great to receive some words of support from the Men’s England Captain, Jamie George, ahead of our upcoming tour of South Africa pic.twitter.com/7N26EDwOof

— England Deaf Rugby Union (EDRU) (@deafrugby) June 14, 2024

Anastacia’s own hearing problems impacting her left ear have been lifelong.

She had hearing issues as a youngster and the experts were going to fit grommets [tiny tubes inserted into the eardrum] when she was at school, but then the eardrum “kind of repaired itself”.

“As I continued to grow up, however, there was damage to the small bones in my ear, my ear drum would burst, I kept having ear infection after ear infection and there was scarring inside the ear too, so it was clear that something wasn’t right,” Anastacia, who works as bid commercial lead for Rexel away from the pitch, recounts.

“I have very little hearing on my left-hand side and a lot of people wouldn’t notice because I can hear fine on the other side and I have not been taught or learnt sign language, but when I am in busy areas or if I am tired then I really struggle to hear people.

“It does affect my day-to-day life, but I have got used to it and just work around it, but on the rugby pitch it can make things tricky at times.

“I have played up in Scotland for long enough now that my teammates at Stirling County, most of the referees and some opponents know, but if someone is on my left sometimes shouting for the ball I sometimes have no idea they are there.

“I am used to that now and adjust accordingly when I was young I tried a few different sports, including being around horses, and I never felt discouraged by my hearing in terms of giving things a go and I am so glad I stuck with rugby in my adult life.”

The South Africa trip – which will last until August 10 – is just the latest in a batch of exciting rugby travels for Anastacia because recently she was part of a historic trip to Normandy.

A journey that intertwined the spirit of rugby with historical remembrance, the Wooden Spoon charity touring party was in France commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

The tour, dubbed ‘Operation Spirit’, honoured the historic events of June 6, 1944, which marked a turning point in World War II.

“It was a trip that will live with me for a long time,” Anastacia, who has become involved in Wooden Spoon Scotland’s women’s rugby growth of late thanks to Scotland cap number 30 Kath Vass, stated.

“We learnt a lot historically and it was quite emotional at times, but it was also uplifting because the people that were hosting us were so friendly and it just reemphasised to me that rugby is such a community game.

“It brings people from all walks of life together and I am so glad that I was bold and gave England Deaf rugby a go because being part of it has brought me new teammates and friends, allowed me to challenge myself and now we are off to South Africa.

“And if my story inspires any young girls or boys with hearing difficulties or impairments to be bold and keep playing the sports that they love then that is an added bonus.

“I know there are a couple of younger rugby players coming through in Scotland who have sought my advice on that sort of thing and if I can help in any way then great and if my squad mates and I can normalise hearing difficulties and show that it is still possible to be a fearsome rugby player who can mix it with the best of them then that is great.”