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'Trademark grin and absolute commitment': Garcia Takes Final Bow
The first weekend of June did not provide the fairy-tale ending Patricia Garcia had hoped for in the Premier 15s final trophy clash at Sixways between Exeter Chiefs and Saracens. Saracens showed their pedigree to run in try after try and claim a comfortable 43- 21 victory over the Devon-based side and an impressive third Premier 15s title.
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Garcia, who has made appearances for Chiefs this season at fly-half, scrum-half and centre had announced her retirement a number of weeks back, and was met with roars of approval as she left the field for the final time in the midst of a game which was slipping out of the Chiefs’ hands.
The versatile back has had a glittering career spanning over a decade, including international honours for Spain in both sevens and 15s, appearing in two World Cups apiece, as well as attending the Rio Olympics in 2016.
In a pandemic-hit 2020, Garcia packed up her teal minivan (complete with fairy lights), collected fellow Spanish teammate Laura Delgado and headed to Exeter to join Susie Appleby’s newly formed Exeter Chiefs women’s side. Featuring in almost every team sheet for the Chiefs, Garcia burst into the Premier 15s with her trademark energy, scoring over 100 points for her club, only the second Chiefs women’s player ever to do so.
Although Spain’s World Cup dreams were dashed in their qualification game against Italy in September 2021, Garcia was undeterred in her XVs efforts this year. Known among her teammates for her commanding presence both on and off the field, she has directed Appleby’s side around the park and slotted many match winning goals, most memorably a last gasp penalty to a win against the then-defending Premier 15s champions Harlequins, by a single point to ignite the side’s unstoppable charge to the final.
At the age of 32, Garcia confides that she has known since the beginning of this season that the time had come to hang up her golden boots, saying: “I feel satisfied with this 14-year chapter of my life. I have achieved my dreams and had the opportunity to end on a good moment whilst I am playing well with the Chiefs.”
Despite the disappointment of losing the Premier 15s final, Garcia holds that it was still a good moment for her to retire on her own terms, saying: “I had friends and family in the crowd, it wasn’t with the trophy, but for me this was not the most important thing. It felt like all the air had gone from my body, it is done, it has arrived. This is the moment I have been waiting for for a long time…it was what I wanted to do so I am happy it happened in a final in the Premier 15s.”
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Gracias por todo, Patricia ?
The moment @PGR_RUGBY brought the curtain down on a stellar 14-year career…#Premier15sFinal ? pic.twitter.com/x4qxM7zcDD
— Premiership Women's Rugby (@ThePWR) June 3, 2022
Chiefs supporters have valued having Garcia in the ranks of their international star-studded team and her combination of talent and charisma made her a clear fan favourite. At the final whistle, the crowd became a sea of Spanish flags which fans had brought as a tribute to their talismanic ten’s final game. Garcia says that it was “incredible to see so much support from the crowd, and so many Spanish flags. Our fans are great and it was a wonderful surprise, I am so grateful for the support.”
A last goodbye came during the Chief’s open top bus tour of the streets of Exeter the following Monday, a belated celebration of the sides’ Allianz Cup victory earlier in the season. There was a hollow atmosphere initially with feelings of disappointment lingering, heightened by the absence of many of the Chiefs core squad who had already departed for their various international duties. However, as the tour made its way through the streets, the cheers, waves and chants of the fans roused the atmosphere, and there were final farewells to fans and teammates alike.
Garcia says: “It’s never easy to say goodbye to teammates, some of them you know you may never see again, so it is emotional. I won’t say it’s sad, because I don’t think everything should be forever – life is for learning and enjoying. I am happy to have all the memories from an opportunity I know not everyone has. I will miss this team, but there is more to come.”
However, Garcia’s legacy has not only been built on the field with the Spaniard coaching within the Exeter Chiefs Academy and Centre of Excellence to help pave the way for the next generation to shine at Sandy Park.
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Chiefs head coach Susie Appleby commented: “Pat is an outstanding player who leads from the front. Her influence has gone beyond the field and the work she has done [through her community role at Chiefs,] developing our younger players in the counties has been invaluable and leaves a legacy which will continue. I cannot wait to see where the next chapter takes her.”
So where next for the new retiree? First and foremost, Garcia intends to spend time with her friends and family – it hasn’t been easy for her to put rugby ahead of all other priorities, particularly when her career has taken her across the globe, with clubs based in Spain, France, Japan and New Zealand.
— Patricia GARCIA RODRIGUEZ | OLY (@PGR_RUGBY) June 4, 2022
A camper-van trip across Europe is in order, in which she intends to “use time alone to reflect and recharge, before focusing on my next project.” Garcia has already done great things with PGR NGO, a non-profit which brings rugby around the world from schools in Chile, communities in the Sahara desert, and the prisons of South America.
Whatever she decides to focus on and wherever she heads next, there’s no doubt Garcia will do it with her trademark grin and absolute commitment.
One thing is for sure – we have not heard the last of Patricia Garcia.
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments