By BEN JAYCOCK
Loughborough Lightning lock
Birthplace: Shrewsbury, Date of birth: 10/10/03
Community club: Telford, Hornets Caps: 0
Why I Play Rugby: I do it for my parents who have sacrificed so much for me
Lilli Ives Campion watched from the stands when England secured the Grand Slam last year in front of a record crowd at Twickenham, wondering how great it would be to be part of their winning group – and now she has her chance to shine.
The 20-year-old Loughborough Lightning second row was recently called up to the Six Nations training squad, depsite still being part of the U20s setup.
Campion, who has progressed through the England age groups, is delighted to be one of six uncapped players called up to John Mitchell’s first squad as head coach and is looking forward to experiencing it with familiar faces.
She told The Rugby Paper: “I never expected it, to get this call up was brilliant. It’s really exciting to be involved in both the U20s and the senior team at a critical time in my development. I can’t wait to get the ball rolling.
“It’s great that I’m being surrounded by players who have been on the same journey as me. I’ve played with Maisy Allen since U18s and now we’re both in this environment together, so it’s exciting to see how the pathway is working.”
Campion has entered an England setup that has enjoyed immense success in the past 12 months, with their Six Nations triumph followed by a WXV1 title win in New Zealand last autumn.
“Everyone is so welcoming and are unbelievable, inspirational people,” said Campion. “A lot of those in the squad I’ve looked up to. I went to the Grand Slam final when they played France and I remember looking down watching and thinking what a great group of people playing such brilliant rugby. So, to know now I’ve been called up into that squad is unbelievable. The knowledge and understanding they have between them is just outstanding.
“It’s about how much I can develop across this period, how much can I utilise the players’ knowledge and experience around me to develop myself. The dream would be to get a cap within this block but I also need to develop myself in order to do that.”
Campion balances her time playing in the Premiership for Lightning and England alongside her international business degree at Loughborough University during a busy exam season.
She added: “I’ve had five exams recently that I’ve had to juggle around the rugby, so I’ve had to be organised for it to be manageable. I’ve done well so far in managing it all but with it being exam season, I have to put 100 per cent focus into my degree.”
Campion has been a standout for Loughborough this season under new head coach Nathan Smith, who has laid the foundations for promising years to come.
Campion believes the team has what it takes this year to break into the top four.
She added: “Loughborough is a great team, I’ve been here since I went to college when I was 16. Our new head coach Nathan has been amazing and has really brought the life out of this team, making a real switch. We’re playing some brilliant rugby and I’m really enjoying my time there. We’ve got some great internationals like Cath O’Donnell, who is a great role model of mine and we’re such good friends.
“The future is bright, we’re in the top five and have got some potential to grow in the coming years. Short-term goals are to finish in the top four. We’re in a really good point of our development and now it’s about how we can push further on this season.”
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