Congratulations to Sophie in Year 13 who was selected to play for the England U18 Women’s Rugby team and part of the winning team to defeat their Welsh opponents in a landmark match held at Rugby School in March.

Celebrating 200 years of Rugby, this was the first women’s international match to be held at the birthplace of the sport and both sides rose to the occasion with England beating Wales 48 v 5.

Sophie, who made her England debut, came off the bench in the second half and quickly grew into the game with strong defensive work, launching an attack with an excellent long pass that saw England score.

Commenting before the game, England head coach James Cooper said:

Congratulations to all players selected, especially those who’ve been picked for the first time – they’ve worked very hard to earn the right to pull on an England shirt. This bicentenary match is a very important moment celebrating the game we all love, and so the 23 women wearing the rose on Sunday afternoon should savour what will be a highlight of their rugby journeys.

After the match, a presentation party that included Senior Red Roses Vice-Captain Emily Scarratt and the President of the RFU gave medals to the players of both teams, commemorating this milestone in the accelerating development of the women’s game. Both squads will come together again in April for the U18 Six Nations tournament to be held at Wellington College in Berkshire.

Sophie is part of the Sport England funded Talent Athlete Scholarship Scheme, which provides support to around 500 elite athletes age 16+ across nearly 40 sports.