England and Sale Sharks forward Morwenna Talling believes the upcoming SuperPWR weekend will be a crucial step forward in growing club-level women’s rugby.
All four league fixtures this weekend, on March 2-3, will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and social media platforms, with games played at each club’s main stadium.
It will be a particularly memorable weekend for Red Rose Talling as she returns to face former club Loughborough Lightning, where her inspiring rugby journey began.
“It’s going to be massive,” she said. “Anytime a game is on TV, you know it will get visibility and sparks interest for more people to watch.
“That’s what we really need to grow the game.
“It will be a very tight match against Loughborough, which will make it even more entertaining to watch on TNT.”
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Talling’s impressive form during her time at Loughborough earned her a call-up to England’s 2020 Six Nations squad. She made her debut against Italy aged just 18 and went on to feature in the most prestigious tournament of all – the World Cup.
“Internationally women’s rugby is doing great,” she said.
“We’ve got the World Cup next year in England and hoping to sell out Twickenham Stadium.
“I want to see the club game grow alongside that.
“We’re playing Ealing Trailfinders at the Salford Community Stadium in a few weeks and it would be great if more games are played in men’s stadiums, as it will hopefully get more people to come and watch.”
Ahead of SuperPWR weekend, the players were asked to share their own as well as their own teammates’ ‘superpowers’.
“Mine is strength,” she said. “I am strong in tackles and carries.
“Captain Georgie Perris-Redding’s got many – she’s an all-rounder. She’ll just chop people down and somehow get through everyone.
“And I need to mention Beatrice Rigoni, the Italian. She has a unique flair about her.
“Her super strength is sometimes even we don’t even know what she’s going to do – that’s a real superpower.
“And we have a brilliant coach in Rachel Taylor. Partly why I moved here is to hear from a new coach and she’s helped me so much both on and off the pitch.”
Talling has settled in well on and off the pitch but the Sharks have endured a tricky league run with just one win in their opening ten games.
She said: “We’ve had a very tough start to the season and injuries don’t help that, but we have shown what we can beat teams like Harlequins and nobody expected that.
“We’re going to strive to be the best team that we can be and focus on what’s immediately ahead. I think we’ve shown what we can do.
“I’ve had some great opportunities here to develop my leadership skills and the team is pretty special.
“I’m proud to wear my England shirt and I’m proud to wear my Sale shirt.”
With thanks to PWR
