Trolls won’t slow Nolli’s rise as expert pundit

PAUL REES finds Nolli Waterman still leading by example as always for the next generation

When Danielle ‘Nolli' Waterman is trolled on social media as a commentator who is ‘out of her depth' because as a woman she does not understand rugby, it is not the former England full-back who does not know what she is talking about.

Waterman is a World Cup winner who won 82 caps for England at full-back, played in the Olympics and is about to complete her level 4 RFU coaching course. And her father, Jim, made more than 400 appearances for Bath, so if she is not qualified to talk about rugby, who is?

Trolling is part of a mini-documentary on Waterman commissioned by HSBC, but its overriding theme is one of shattering the glass ceiling and if the shards nick a small but noisy minority, the message to those who aspire to emulate her is to go for it and let nothing stand in their way.

“The feedback to the documentary has been amazing,” said Waterman, an HSBC ambassador who commentates for C4 and ITV. “When I reflected on the trolling and how I was feeling, I lost a lot of confidence and enjoyment of working in the media. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to perform and asked why I was doing it.

“Then I realised that if I didn't feel I was good enough, no woman was going to come through this given what I was fortunate enough to have achieved. When I coached the Italian men's Sevens fire service team a couple of years ago, my instant reaction was that I was not good enough. The players believed I was too qualified!

We won the tournament and it was the most magnificent week I had had with a group of players.

“What I wanted to get across in the documentary was that trolling happens and not just to me as a woman but to all the pundits. What we are promoting is that there is space for everyone in the media in any role if you are good enough and work hard enough and that it comes down to ability, not gender. It is impor- tant trolling does not shout louder than the majority who are positive because if the younger generation see I get upset by it, why would they want to put themselves forward for the opportunity?”

Social media has become a major issue in sport with a number of clubs and players in football considering terminating their accounts because of abuse with trolls able to shield their identity and fire away with no fear of any comeback unless they break the law, and not always then.

“If people are verified, they are held accountable for what they say,” said Waterman. “It is wrong to allow someone to be faceless on social media and commit a potentially criminal offence. Some of the male players had death threats during their Six Nations and it is mortifying that is allowed to happen.

“Social media should be a space to enjoy and share opinions, but trolling has become normalised and that has to change. Rugby is an inclusive, progressive sport and big brands like HSBC have a big role in conveying that and helping change the narrative.”

The women's Six Nations reaches its conclusion on Saturday with England the favourites to win the tournament which was reformatted this year because of the pandemic and split into two groups, like last year's Autumn Nations Cup.

“I was impressed with how France began against Wales and the depth they are creating is impressive,” said Waterman.

“Ireland came out all guns blazing but for Wales the tournament has highlighted a number of issues in the women's game there. Some of their players are in the form of their life in the Premiership but it is not happening in an international jersey and questions need to be asked.

“England were always going to be finding their feet without Katy Daley-Mclean, a world class leader who was so instrumental in the team's success: I was made to look good by her for years. If I was in the analysis room, I would be disappointed by how they've performed and their biggest test will be in the final. They were fortunate to get the bounce of the ball a couple of times against Italy and will need to step up.”

To watch Finding Her Voice, please visit the HSBC YouTube Channel here.