Today marks International Women’s Day, and what better way to celebrate that fact than the record-breaking English crowd which watched the Red Roses’ 66-7 defeat of Wales on Saturday.
The 10,974 people who crammed into the Twickenham Stoop was the most for an England women ticketed home game outside of a World Cup, and what a treat they had in store in London.
But, have you ever stopped to think about the paths these players have taken to reach the highest stage, and what drives them to be the best that they can be?
Here we take a look at who has inspired the women of this year’s Championship, and just how they have got to where they are today.
Since Siwan Lillicrap’s debut in the red jersey in 2015 she has been a mainstay in the team, and after recently becoming captain she now has the task of leading a youthful Wales team from the front.
The skipper’s big break didn’t come until she was 28 years old, as she continued to strive for international recognition, and was often cut from extended squads.
But upon being named captain last autumn, Lillicrap followed in the footsteps of someone she had looked up to for a lifetime, and eventually got the chance to play with.
Rachel Taylor earned 67 caps for her country and was seen as an inspiration to a whole generation of Welsh female rugby players, as a result of her commanding performances on the pitch.
Even now, Taylor is still breaking down barriers after becoming the first female coach of a national league Welsh rugby team when she was appointed at Colwyn Bay in 2018.
“She was a great leader for Wales Women,” Lillicrap said.
“It was a real inspiration, I was fortunate enough to play with her as well.”
Some inspirational figures can be those that you have grown up watching on the rugby pitch, but some can be those who you see everyday, or grow up around who spur you on to greater heights.
Take 2014 World Cup winner Sarah Hunter as example, who pays tribute to her nearest and dearest for how she managed to crack it at the highest stage.
And even after over 100 England caps to her name, she still hasn’t forgotten the importance of having a strong network around her.
“My family have been there for me throughout my career,” Hunter outlined.
“The highs and the lows, when I sing the national anthem, that’s who I look for – my family.”
The importance of family on a sporting star’s life can never be underestimated, and both Ireland captain Ciara Griffin and Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm back up that fact, as the pair also reflect on how they have reached where they are today.
Griffin said: “I had that support unit, that constant encouragement to work harder, it was instilled in me at a young age by my family, and I still use it everyday.”
While Malcolm also stated: “I grew up watching my family play and that inspired me to take up the sport, especially with how much it meant to them.”
But for others, it’s the players they play with when they represent their countries.
The teammates that they join forces with to do battle on the rugby pitch, and to represent their homeland across the continent.
Take Italy back row Giada Franco for example, who only has to look across the dressing room to be inspired.
“You see Sara Barratin, Manuela Furlan, Elisa Giordano, our new captain, they are a really good example on an off the pitch,” Franco said.
But for France captain Gaelle Hermet there has been one thing that has stimulated her throughout her career, and it’s something that we can all agree with, getting to play in the best women’s rugby competition in the world.
“They are always very special matches, the Women’s Six Nations is always a very special event,” Hermet said.
“It’s an honour and a source of pride to take part.”
