Being told that she would not make the top grade as a centre was the inspiration behind Sarah Hunter making a positional switch to the back row and winning 22 England caps so far. Her Test honours followed appearances for England Under 19s, Academy and A team, as well as captaining Northumberland Under 16s, North East Under 18s and England A. She currently leads her club, Lichfield Ladies.
Sarah began playing rugby league when nine at primary school and started in union five years later. Born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, she attended Goathland Primary and Longbenton Community College in North Tyneside before gaining a degree in Sport Science and Mathematics at Loughborough University. She was as a Community Rugby Coach for the RFU in Birmingham before being appointed as an RFU Regional Student Liaison Officer in September 2010. Sarah is now helping to develop the game in universities and further education colleges in the Midlands and West region.
Her many mentors include Graham Cooper, the head coach at Novocastrians where she played for three seasons, Jo Wells, a regional coach who introduced her to rugby union and her first coach Mick Hogan. She said: "England forwards’ coach Graham Smith and my club coach at Lichfield, Damo Mooney both had a strong influence but it was Phil Forsyth, the ex-England Under 19 coach who converted me from playing at centre to the back row."
Sarah’s achievements feature winning the British Universities Championship with Loughborough. Her England triumphs include the Six Nations three times, together with the European Championship and Nations Cup twice each. Personal accolades are players’ player awards at Novocastrians, Lichfield, Loughborough University and the England Academy.
Statistics
Squad: Lichfield
Position: Flanker
Age: 25
Height: 1.77m (5'10")
Weight: 80kg (12st 8lb)
Caps: 22
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