Audrey and the Red Roses tackle rugby’s big questions

The North London student says, “The number one thing I enjoy about rugby is all the people. It’s a community and everyone’s so nice.”

She adds, “I also like it because it exercises all your muscles, not just your arms or your feet. You get to exercise your legs and your brain. Everything must get moving in rugby.”

When The National Lottery was looking for a roving reporter to interview members of the England Rugby’s women’s team in the run-up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, Audrey was an obvious choice. She’s a big fan of the Red Roses, a highly rated team that’s tipped to win the tournament which starts on 22nd August and culminates at Twickenham on Saturday 27th September 2025.

As a member of the Sonics, a girls rugby club that’s part of National Lottery-funded Saracens Rugby Football Club, Audrey is part of the sport’s rapid growth at the grassroots level. The game’s development at both the grassroots and elite level has been supported by The National Lottery.

Audrey, whose favourite players are wingers and fly-halves, had plenty of questions for the Red Roses when she met them at Twickenham. She says, “I asked them how they got into rugby when they were children. I also wanted to know what advice they would give me if I was going to be in the Red Roses?”

Audrey got her start playing tag rugby – a simplified, non-contact version of the game – at school. When her tag rugby coach Nash Cohen started the Sonics in 2022, he asked her to join.

Nash, 47, says Audrey’s passion and potential were obvious from an early age. He adds, “You could tell from her energy levels that she was not going to take any prisoners. I was impressed not just by her physical ability, but also by her attitude and her response to adversity. At the age of six that’s rare to find. She’s been a bit of a legend from the first time she stepped on a pitch.”

Nash says National Lottery funding and grassroots clubs like the Sonics play a vital role in encouraging girls to play rugby. And there’s plenty of evidence the game is gaining traction. Seven girls turned up for the first Sonics training session in 2022; today, the club has more than 90 members across four age groups.

Audrey goes to two Sonics sessions a week. She wears a mouthguard and a headguard and is starting to learn how to tackle another player.

Her father, Brandon, admits he had a few concerns about his daughter playing a contact sport, “but it’s good to have that concern because it teaches you to respect the game.”

He adds, “I also feel you don’t want that [concern] to be a limiting factor in your child’s choice of sport. She really loves it and it’s given her a sense of community and friendship. The people she mixes with are all just wonderful. She comes back from practice with such positive energy that we feel it’s our duty to support her.”

20th August 2025