Red Roses: Natasha Hunt

GLOUCESTER-HARTPURY SCRUM-HALF

Birthplace: Gloucester, Date of Birth: 21/03/89

Community Club: Drybrook RFC, Red Roses Debut: 2011 vs USA, Caps: 67

Why I play rugby: I want to be the best I can be, always striving to get better. The people involved in rugby are all special.

Natasha ‘Mo' Hunt endured a rollercoaster 2022/23 season that saw her miss out on selection for the World Cup but bounce back to guide Gloucester-Hartpury to their first ever Premier 15s title.

The 34-year-old scored 10 tries for her club last season which attracted the attention of England's new selectors, and the 2014 World Cup winner returned to the international stage to help the Red Roses secure the inaugural WXV1 title last month in New Zealand.

Having been left off the list of 32 players awarded contracts this summer despite her domestic heroics, the 67-cap No.9 was this week awarded with a full-time Red Roses contract under new head coach John Mitchell.

She told The Rugby Paper: “I was so elated, it's something I've made no bones about that I want to be there and to give my best shot. When I missed out on the first selection bit, I was pretty gutted because with the year I had I thought I would have done enough to squeeze in. It was about having a bit of fight and trying to prove that I'm still up to it. To get the call to say they wanted to contract me was amazing. The security of knowing I'll be in camp is the main thing.”

Co-captain Hunt made 21 appearances for Gloucester-Hartpury last season and says the emotional achievement of winning the title at the end of a ‘rollercoaster campaign' rivals her World Cup win.

“It was going from one of the lowest of lows I've ever been in my life, to one of the highest,” she said. “It rivals the World Cup win because of how special it was with that group and the journey that we'd all been on together. We'd suffered losses by two points, one point, last kicks of the game but to finally do it in that fairytale season with the girls, doing it in the manner we did at Kingsholm in front of all your family and friends was just unbelievable.

“Zoe Aldcroft is one of my best mates so to have her as co-captain was just super special. When you get to rock bottom, you've got two options to stand up and fight or crumble and let it dictate you. That could have been everything about my career, the last bit of news about me so I'm just so fortunate for the people around me that helped me get back to a place where I was enjoying it and pushing me through those dark times.”

Hunt was a key figure in England's victorious tournament in New Zealand as she started the final match – a dominant 33-12 win over the Black Ferns – after also playing her part in the two previous wins over Australia and Canada.

Having missed out on World Cup selection under Simon Middleton's stewardship, Hunt was delighted to right those wrongs and prove she belongs on the biggest stage.

She added: “It meant so much to us as a group. There was a lot of emotion for the girls going back out to Auckland again. There was lots of familiarities, they spent eight weeks out in Auckland last year, the long haul flight again, so there were lots of things that were quite challenging for a lot of the girls.

“For people like myself, the challenge of not getting selected before meant all the girls were talking about that so there were a lot of mixed emotions for everyone. Going up against New Zealand is always one of my favourite games, so to beat them in the manner we did was epic.”

BEN JAYCOCK