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Why Maud Muir is happy to provide impact as England's super-sub
England prop Maud Muir is delighted to have fellow tighthead Sarah Bern back in the Red Roses squad, saying the pair’s “amicable” rivalry drives them both on to be better players.
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Muir was the main beneficiary as injury ruled Bern out of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations earlier this year, starting four matches as England secured another Grand Slam.
With Bern back fit for Saturday’s meeting with France at Kingsholm, the Gloucester-Hartpury prop, a back-to-back Premiership Women’s Rugby champion, could see her time on the pitch reduced.
But Muir won’t complain if John Mitchell does elect to start 61-cap Bern, insisting both players can have an impact on the game regardless of whether they start or come off the bench.
“We’re very amicable and we try to push each other, you know. I ask questions in the scrum, and I’ll send her stuff for the lineout. We get on very well and I think we want to push each other,” she said.
“Everyone always wants to start, but I think especially for a prop and especially in a team like this, you do get minutes.
“It’s normally about 50/30-minutes changeover, that’s still a decent time. So, I think being able to come off the bench and make an impact – and you do get the time to make an impact – I think it’s equally as important.
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“Yeah, you always want to start, but it’s also very good being on the bench.”
Although able to play both sides of the scrum, Muir has made a concerted effort to concentrate on the number three jersey over the last year or so.
“I definitely feel a bit more comfortable,” she added of focusing on tighthead.
“[There’s] still so much to learn. I learn so much every session, every game but it is good to get a bit of consistency at tighthead.”
The 23-year-old will hope that translates onto the Kingsholm pitch come Saturday afternoon as the Red Roses chase a 14th successive Test victory against Les Bleues.
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England have not lost to France since a Grand Slam-decider in Grenoble in March 2018 and if that run of results wasn’t daunting enough, Muir believes her team-mates can improve on the performance that yielded a 42-21 victory in Bordeaux just five months ago.
“They’ll definitely throw stuff at us that we won’t expect, they’re always very physical,” Muir said of the challenge France pose.
“Expect them to keep the ball in hand, play it wide. I think we just want to put a full 80-minute performance out, because last time we definitely didn’t perform as well in the second half, and we want to stay on it for the whole 80.
“So, that’s kind of the aim and what we want to do.”
Muir has experienced the roar of Kingsholm’s infamous Shed in an England jersey once before, playing the final quarter as the Red Roses beat Wales 58-5 in front of 14,689 fans – a record crowd at the time.
That match was played before Muir moved to Gloucester-Hartpury and having grown accustomed to running out at the iconic ground – and won a title there – she is raring to do so again with a rose on her chest.
“The Shed is an incredible part of the club. They are harsh in the Shed, but I think that adds to it and it winds the other team up,” the prop said.
“It’s like the 16th man, or woman, and they rally for you, and you can hear them. You can definitely hear them; Gloucester fans are very loud and hopefully we get that on Saturday.”
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