‘I spent a fortune on petrol and replacing worn out old cars’, recalls Gill Burns MBE. The rugby legend, who represented
England between 1988 and 2002, paved the way for today’s Red Roses, who take on
Italy this afternoon in the Women’s Six Nations . But when Gill began to play, the women’s game was in its infancy . Players had to buy their own shirts, fork out for their own hotels and travel hundreds of miles just to reach training sessions. ‘For my first Great
Britain game we stayed in a youth hostel’, Gills, 59, tells Metro. ‘I was in the top bunk bed and it creaked every time I moved. As with all youth hostel stays we had to do chores on the morning of the game too. ‘We were all a little weary and sleep deprived for that one I seem to remember but we still beat
France for the first time at [London’s] Rosslyn Park.’ Gill, the daughter of a dance teacher, had been something of a sporting extraordinaire growing up in Prescot, Merseyside. She represented
British Colleges at hockey,
basketball, swimming and athletics, also picking up teaching qualifications in tap, ballet and modern dance. While playing for Chester at a hockey tournament in Hightown, Gill had accidentally knocked over an opposing player in a hockey match. She was told: ‘the way you play hockey, you should be a rugby player.’ Gill gave rugby a go, and was hooked. But it wasn’t an easy journey through the sport. ‘Barriers, there were a few’, she continues. ‘But we just got over them the best way we could. After all, I was a hurdler as a schoolgirl. ‘One barrier I had as a northerner was the constant driving up and down the motorway without any travel expenses. Most of the England training we did was in the south. I spent a fortune on petrol and replacing worn out old cars.’ Gill, who calls herself a ‘vintage Red Rose’, was part of the England squad which emerged victorious from the 1994 Women’s Rugby World Cup. She’d taken unpaid leave from her
Job as a teacher at Culcheth High School in Cheshire to travel to the tournament, and forked out more than £800 for her hotel in Edinburgh. ‘We paid for everything ourselves in those days but it was worth every penny’, Gill adds. ‘I just feel for those
Women who would have loved to be involved but just couldn’t afford the privilege.’ This is what being a Red Rose means, whatever the era ð¹â¤ï¸ Former captain Gill Burns delivers a speech to match the occasion as the past and current players come together to unveil the first womenâs honours board at Twickenham Stadium #RedRoses pic.twitter.com/O7O7QNjiUW Gill helped to organise a match between England and
Sweden at Waterloo, Merseyside in 1988, which would mark her international debut. She was involved with ticket sales, booked accommodation for the teams and designed the programme, among other aspects. Stephen Jones, writing in The Sunday Times in 1996, described Burns as ‘in every respect, a genuine, 24-carat English sporting heroine.’ Gill’s dedication to growing the women’s game would later earn her an MBE in 2005. This weekend, Gill is looking to Parma where the Red Roses take on Italy in the 2024 Women’s Six Nations. Last April, record crowds watched the English side take on France in the final game of the tournament. This year is set to be an even bigger spectacle. Princess Anne's very Princess Anne reaction to lone
Gunman who tried to kidnap her 'Tie me up and call me a good boy': The secrets of a submissive man I thought I'd made a good friend. Then something strange happened LadBaby Mark Hoyle says money struggles force families to make 'impossible decisions' There’s no hint of jealousy from Gill, instead she’s brimming with pride at the progress made for the Red Roses. She points to the WXV Championship, which ‘left rugby aficionados marvelling at their skills, game plans and fitness’ and the excitement surrounding head coach John Mitchell, new into the role as of 2023. Gill, who now makes rugby-themed cushions , adds: ‘I’m delighted to see the growth of the game and the way in which current international players are professional in every way. The levels of fitness, skill and organisation are so good as a result. ‘ Women’s sport is at last being appreciated, supported and televised which will encourage more women and girls to get involved and will bring in global fans. With the 2025
World Cup taking place in England it’s going to be a very exciting time in the build up for all involved. Long may the growth of the game continue. ‘ The vintage Red Roses are very proud of how far the game has come and it’s an honour for us to be associated with our current crop.’ One of that crop is none other than Alex Matthews, England flanker and part of the Red Roses 2014 World Cup-winning squad. She knows that people like Gill have made her dream of playing rugby professionally a reality. Alex and Gill met with England U20 captain Lilli Ives Campion at Twickenham this week. The trio posed for an impactful photo showing three generations of Red Roses in one shot. While Gill’s World Cup Final attendance in 1994 was around 5,000, last year’s England v France fixture at Twickenham had an attendance of 58,000. Alex says: ‘The foundations of the Red Roses’ successes today have been laid by those players who have left the shirt in a better place before us, like Gill. Their storytelling of what they had to endure and to fight for is inspirational and shines a light amongst the current culture of the group. ‘Their fight, determination and enjoyment has seen women’s rugby progress immensely over the past 30 years since England first won the World Cup in 1994. ‘As a squad we’re hugely excited for this year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations to kick-off and to get in front of the fans at Twickenham against
Ireland next month. We feel a huge amount of momentum behind us, and we can’t wait to show how much we have progressed as a group over the next seven weeks.’ England face their first match against Italy this Sunday (March 24) in Emilia-Romagna, with two home matches during the tournament: England vs Wales – in Bristol on March 30 England vs Ireland – in Twickenham on April 20 Tickets available here: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/rfu Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Kirsten.Robertson@metro.co.uk Share your views in the comments below. MORE : Princess Anne’s very Princess Anne reaction when lone gunman tried to kidnap her MORE : Ireland win back-to-back Six Nations after tense final day victory over
Scotland in
Dublin MORE : Brilliant England must prove joyous Six Nations win over Ireland was not a one-off