Women’s rugby star Rosie Gilligan inspires pupils at St Andrew’s School in Much Hadham
Six primary school pupils in Much Hadham were so inspired by England rugby international Rosie Gilligan’s visit that they wrote an account for Indie readers. Year 5 girls Tilly, Millie, Audrey, Megan, Tyger and Clara penned the article...
It was not a normal day at St Andrew’s School, Much Hadham, on Thursday, January 16.
Years 4, 5 and 6 got the pleasure of meeting Rosie Gilligan, the famous England rugby international.
To start her visit, Rosie, 26, told us all about herself and her rollercoaster journey to becoming a World Cup finalist.
She spoke of starting at 16, helping out her older brother’s team as they needed a female player.
Rosie, who is 5ft 9in, found that she had a real talent for rugby and progressed quickly, eventually playing club rugby for Saracens and international rugby for England.
However, just as she had broken into the Red Roses squad as a lock, her rollercoaster took an awful dip. She contracted the terrible viral illness of meningitis. She could have lost her legs or another limb, but it was caught in time.
The meningitis took many months to get over. Rosie had to learn to walk and exercise again, her body was so weak. But slowly and with much perseverance, she became fit again and got back into the Saracens team.
Then sporting disaster struck again. Just as England called her back to the international stage, Rosie broke her leg and ankle very badly whilst practising line-out drills.
This meant another six months on the sidelines, but again Rosie showed her grit and slowly recovered with the help of her many friends and family.
Following a further six months of training, she got back into the Saracens team and, shortly after, the England squad again.
Since then, it has been positive and she has won many trophies and England caps, culminating in scoring three tries in one match against South Africa.
Rosie’s biggest ambition this year is to win the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Rosie then answered many of our questions and took each class for a training session. What a brilliant experience for all of us!
We are so inspired by Rosie, she definitely shows ‘Girl Power’ – boys and girls can do anything if they just keep trying.