Lizzie Hanlon aims to make her family smile at Harlequins

Harlequins prop Lizzie Hanlon says returning to the club her family supported when she was growing up has allowed her to thrive and is chomping at the bit to run out in Big Game 17 later this month.

The 23-year-old grew up in Guilford, Surrey and joined the Londoners from Exeter Chiefs ahead of last season.

On December 20, Hanlon will experience Big Game 17 at Twickenham, with Quins facing Bristol in the annual showpiece festive fixture.

Hanlon says her family, long-time Harlequins supporters, have wasted no time in reclaiming their allegiances.

Big game

She told The Rugby Paper: “It’s a real big game to look forward to. It’ll be good to go against Bristol, another strong contender.

“It’s always a really exciting game and I think Quins tend to front up well, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“I was nervous coming into Quins. It’s always a tricky decision to decide whether to move club, but the girls and staff were just so welcoming, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing. It’s nice to be close to home.

“My family have been Quins supporters and they had to start supporting Chiefs when I was playing there.

“Not a single one of them bought any Chiefs kit – I had to kit them out with my stuff!

“They’re really keen to have me close to home and it’s great to see them at a lot more games now.”

Weapon

Harlequins picked up one win from their first four and in a tight league, Hanlon believes her side’s attacking DNA remains a key weapon, providing they sharpen up in the right areas.

She added: “We’re such a strong attacking side. In some cases, we can do a better job of maintaining the ball and continuing with our super strength.

vSkill errors have sometimes let other teams into the game. As a group, our target is to get as far as we can and win the league.”

The tighthead is pleased with elements of her form but is clear about where she wants to improve.

Develop

She added: “There have been parts of my game I’ve been quite happy with, and as a squad, our set-piece is coming along, but there’s still lots to develop.

“As a prop, scrum will always be my number one work-on and we can become a much more dominant scrummaging side.

“Around the park, I’d love to become a stronger carrier, be more physical and get more involvements.

“I’ve got a pretty high tackle percentage this year, but it’s another big area where I’d like to be more physical.”

Hanlon is a former diver and feels that background still shapes how she approaches the front row.

“Being a front row is quite a key area to bring technique as minimal changes can make quite a big difference,” said Hanlon.

“The body-awareness piece is huge, knowing what your body’s doing without seeing it.

“And I’ve still got a reasonable amount of flexibility, being strong in slightly uncomfortable positions, which really helps.”