Red Roses scrumhalf Natasha “Mo” Hunt is attempting to join England’s squad for a home World Cup in 2025, saying, “Who knows if I would be sitting here going for the next one if I had reached that Rugby World Cup?” Hunt is expressing her sadness about missing out in 2022.
With less than a year until the tournament begins on August 22nd, Hunt is a key member of John Mitchell’s team. The event will begin on August 22nd. Prior to the major event, England will only be competing in two competitions: the Women’s Six Nations and the Women’s Rugby Sevens, which will begin later this month. In the first match of the countdown, the Red Roses will compete against two of their most formidable adversaries: France, which will be played on Saturday, and New Zealand, which will be played the following week.
Each and every one of the preparations serves as a basis upon which they might attempt to win the trophy that has eluded them since the year 2014. England has made it to the finals in both of the Rugby World Cups that have since taken place, but New Zealand has always defeated them. According to Hunt, the pre-season has been more intense than usual because she is aware of the World Cup that will take place the following year. Hunt is not going too far ahead of herself, despite the fact that the possibility of competing in the regional competition is a motivating drive for her.
“I think the excitement that is going around the squad, of the fact that we have the potential to accomplish something pretty massive this summer if we get everything right and if we attack it, is really, really cool,” adds Hunt. “England Rugby are moving the games to a variety of stadiums, and it is evident that the final game at Twickenham will be rather epic. They are hoping to get that as a sellout for the first time ever for a women’s game. There are a lot of exciting things going on in the women’s game right now—things that I never imagined would happen in my entire years of playing the game.
The idea of being part of that is truly motivating, but there are numerous hurdles to overcome before reaching that point. I will never assume or demand anything until I actually see my name on the team sheet. That is certainly a valuable lesson to take away.
Experiencing the unexpected exclusion from the previous Rugby World Cup is an event that Hunt believes no one should have to go through. However, she acknowledges that it has had a profound impact on her personal growth, allowing her to empathise with the heartbreak that comes with not being chosen.
According to the 35-year-old, setbacks and disappointments tend to linger and never truly fade away. I doubt I will ever fully recover. However, I believe it’s a significant motivator for me at present and has undoubtedly improved my skills as a player. I believe youcan always turn something that is quite low and quite negative into a positive with the right mindset. Hopefully that is what I have been able to do and I’ve got to keep pushing on and see where we can go.”
Hunt has fought her way back into the England team and has been involved in every match since Mitchell took over as head coach at the start of the year. She starts against France this Saturday in a game that is being played at Kingsholm, a home stadium for Hunt, who plays for Gloucester-Hartpury and was born in Gloucester.
“It is a really special place,” Hunt says. “I love the fans; they are so passionate about loving rugby and Gloucester. To be able to pull on the white shirt and run out there [is amazing], especially in front of my niece and nephew. One is three and one is nearly three so they kind of understand it. So to be able to do it in front of them as well, how much they love rugby and they have been brought up in that environment, is so incredibly special.”