Which 15 England rugby players are hidden in the following words? All the players have a current contract (as of 1 June 2020). Surname only. The words below all form part of the player’s name:

Example:
(9 letters)
DINE
LINED
DOTE
MODEL

Answer: MIDDLETON (!)

Or:

(6 letters)
TRY
HARE

Answer: HAYTER (!)

THE QUIZ:

Player 1 (7 letters)

AMEN
CANE
CAKE
NECK

Player 2 (8 letters)

STEW
WHEAT
STEAM
SWEAT
THAW

Player 3 (9)

TOTE
MOTE
NOTE
TERM
BOAT
MATT

Player 4 (8)

TRACT
STAR
CAST

Player 5 (8)

DUNE
KINDLE
NINE
UNKIND

Player 6 (11)

GRUB
BOUGH
COUGH
BOON

Player 7 (8)

NOODLE
DELL
LOON
DONE

Player 8 (8)

SOON
SHOOT
MOON
STOMP

Player 9 (11)

NAMED
CLAY
LADY
LADEN

Player 10 (7)

MILE
LIFE
FLING
MINE

Player 11 (7)

SOLE
NOSEY
LOUSE
ONLY

Player 12 (9)

THIS
CHAIN
NOTCH

Player 13 (7)

WORD
DRAWN
LOAN

Player 14 (11)

SHADOW
HANDY
DISH
LION
RIND

Player 15 (8)

COAT
LOAD
FLOAT
CRAFT

Answers:

1 Sarah McKENNA 15s

2 Alex MATTHEWS   7s

3 Hannah BOTTERMAN 15s

4 Emily SCARRATT 15s

5 Ellie KILDUNNE   7s

6 Vickii CORNBOROUGH 15s

7 Cath O’DONNELL 15s

8 Lydia THOMPSON 15s

9 Katy DALEY-MCLEAN 15s

10 Deborah FLEMING   7s

11 Jodie OUNSLEY   7s

12 Holly AITCHISON   7s

13 Helena ROWLAND   7s

14 Amy WILSON HARDY   7s

15 Zoe ALDCROFT 15s

(An asterisk (*) indicates a question covered in one of my pieces on the site.)

1. Place these players in order according to the number of tries they have scored for England:

1.  Jess Breach
2.  Kat Merchant
3.  Nolli Waterman
4.  Kay Wilson

2. Names: distinguish these four England players*:

1.  Abi
2.  Abby
3. Abbie
4. Abbie

3. How many Sarahs were in the 2020 Six Nations squad*?

4. Katy Daley-Mclean brought up her 500 points by converting whose try against whom?*

5. Who was the only player to make five line-breaks during the 2020 Six Nations?

6. Who were the three England players nominated for the World Player of the Year 2019?*

7. In May 2017 who turned up to surprise an England training session?

8. Match these players to their place of birth:

Player:

1. Amy Cokayne
2. Harriet Millar-Mills
3. Katy Daley-Mclean
4. Lydia Thompson
5. Tamara Taylor

Place:

1. Exeter
2. Ipswich
3. South Shields
4. Stockport
5. Stourbridge

9. One of these players did not tour New Zealand in 2017; who is it?

1. Emily Braund
2. Harriet Millar-Mills
3.  Izzy Noel-Smith
4.  Megan Jones
5.  Poppy Cleall

10. Jess Breach has appeared mostly on the left wing for England. But in which game did she play on the right wing for the first time?*

11. England losses: since being defeated 32-41 by New Zealand in the World Cup final in 2017, they have lost twice. To whom and where?*

12. Which player is known as the foxy lady?

13. Which player has a pineapple top?

14. Which player has scored the most tries for England?

15. What is the name of the stadium where England played New Zealand in the last round of the Super Series 2019?*

16. Which one of these games was played in dry conditions?

1.  v Ireland, Donnybrook, 2017
2.  v New Zealand, Rotorua, 2017
3.  v Italy, Bedford, 2019*
4.  v Scotland, Murrayfield, 2020*
5.  v Ireland, Doncaster, 2020*

17. Which player had to return home injured before the end of the Super Series in California 2019?*

18. Name three clubs Amy Cokayne has played for

19. Where did England host Ireland in the Six Nations of 2018?

20. Whom did Richard Blaze replace as forwards coach?*

21. In which two years did England win the World Cup?

22. Who were the captains of the two teams?

23. England played five matches at the 2017 Rugby World Cup. Against whom and in what order?

24. Emily Scarratt brought up her 500 points by converting whose try against whom?*

25. Who were England’s very first opponents, and in which year?

26. Who scored England’s last try in the Quilter (Autumn) internationals 2019?*

27. Complete this statement: ‘How I Led My Country…’ *

28. Where were the pool-stage matches of the 2014 World Cup held?

29. Who scored a try in each of the three matches of the 2017 tour to New Zealand?

30. Which Rugby League club did Simon Middleton play for?

31. Name the three nations England have played at Castle Park, Doncaster*

Answers:

1.
47 Nolli Waterman
44 Kat Merchant
32 Kay Wilson
22 Jess Breach

2. Abi Chamberlain
Abby Dow
Abbie Brown, Abbie Scott

3. Four: Bern, Beckett, Hunter, McKenna

4. Jess Breach’s try v France, Doncaster 2019

5. Abigail Dow

6. Sarah Bern, Katy Daley-Mclean and Emily Scarratt

7. (the then) Prince Harry

8. Amy Cokayne – Ipswich
Harriet Millar-Mills – Stockport
Katy Daley-Mclean – South Shields
Lydia Thompson – Stourbridge
Tamara Taylor – Exeter

9. Poppy Cleall

10. Ireland v England, Donnybrook February 1 2019

11. 17-18 to France, Grenoble 2018; 13-28 to New Zealand, San Diego 2019

12. Harriet Millar-Mills

13. Vicky Fleetwood

14. Sue Day (61!)

15. Torero Stadium, San Diego

16. e. (a – wind and rain; b – rain; c – rain; d – snow, sleet, wind!)

17. Mo Hunt

18. Lichfield, RAF, Wasps, Quins

19. Ricoh Stadium, Coventry

20. Matt Ferguson

21. 1994, 2014

22. Karen Almond, Katy (Daley-)Mclean

23. Spain, Italy, USA. France, New Zealand

24. Claudia Macdonald’s try v Scotland (Murrayfield, Edinburgh) 2020

25. Wales, 1987 (Pontypool Park, result 4-22)

26. Rownita Marston (v Italy, Bedford)

27. ‘…and lived to tell the tale’ (subtitle of Cath Spencer’s book)

28. Marcoussis, France

29. Abbie Scott

30. Castleford

31. Canada, France, Ireland

Hello rugby fans – how many of these can you answer?  Scroll down further for answers.

1. Which two nations played consecutive 6 Nations matches against each other (2019/2020) at their Headquarters’ grounds?

2. Who scored the most points in the 2020 Championship?

3. Why did Beibhinn Parsons disappear from the scene?

4. Seven Red Roses, contracted in 2020, toured Canada with the England squad in 2011. Who are they?

5. Which of these towns did not stage a 6N match in 2020: Legnano, Padua, Parma?

6. Which of the 6 Head Coaches has served the longest?

7. Which two Welsh players completed all 320 minutes on the pitch?

8. How many tries did Ireland score in the Championship?

9. Who were England’s Players of the Match in Rounds 1, 2, 3 and 4?

10. Which Nation made the most successful tackles in the Championship?

11. Three players scored four tries each in the Championship, who were they?

12. Which Scottish player made the most carries in the Championship?

13. Which two referees made two appearances in the Championship?

14. Where did Jess Breach get her dancing feet from:

a. ballet lessons from the age of 5

b. Her father

c. Sprint training

15. How many matches remain unplayed?

Answers:

1. England and Scotland: Twickenham 2019; Murrayfield 2020
2. Emily Scarratt (40)
3. She had her school exams to prepare
4. Daley-Mclean, Fleetwood, Hunt, Hunter, McKenna, Packer and Scarratt
5. Sadly all 3
6. Andrea di Giandomenico (Italy, since 2009)
7. Lisa Neumann and Robyn Wilkins
8. 8
9. Emily Scarratt, Emily Scott, Zoe Aldcroft, Poppy Cleall
10. Wales (837)
11. Cyrielle Banet, Abby Dow and Laure Sansus
12. Jade Konkel
13. Aimee Barrett-Theron and Hollie Davidson
14. Her father
15. 6

A few cinches, some stinkers to test how closely you followed this year’s Women’s Six Nations

1. Who scored the first try of the 2019 Six Nations?
2. Disregarding the 3-3 draw between Italy and Wales, what was the smallest margin of victory?
3. Who were the four England players to start all the five matches?
4. Who scored the most penalties in the 2019 Six Nations?
5. Which is the youngest of the five national captains?
6. Who are the three England forwards who appeared against Italy in 2015 and 2019?
7. Which two referees appeared twice in the course of the 2019 Six Nations?
8. Who was the only Red Rose to play all 400 minutes of the 2019 Six Nations?
9. What occupation outside rugby links Jessy Trémoulière and Rowena Burnfield?
10. Which Red Rose played the fewest minutes?
11. Which was the only round to produce three home wins?
12. Who was denied a match-winning try when the TMO decreed: ‘Forward pass’?
13. Can you name the Players of the Match in the five England games?
14. Who was Italy’s left-footed kicker?
15. In the game against England which Scottish player had the most caps?
16. Which of these towns was not a venue in this year’s competition: Lecce, Padua, Parma, Verona?
17. Who played scrum-half and fly-half in the same match?
18. We wanted to see two sets of twins play in one match, but couldn’t; who was missing?
19. Who kicked the last-minute conversion to ensure Wales’ victory over Scotland?
20. Who scored the last try of the entire tournament?

Answers:

1. Jess Breach (v Ireland)
2. 2 points: Italy 29 Ireland 27, or Scotland 15 Wales 17
3. Sarah Bern, Jess Breach, Katy Daley-Mclean, Sarah McKenna
4. Michela Sillari (5)
5. Gaëlle Hermet
6. Vickii Cornborough, Vicky Fleetwood, Abbie Scott
7. Aimee Barrett-Theron (SA) and Rebecca Mahoney (NZ)
8. Jess Breach
9. Farming
10. Rosie Galligan (12 minutes)
11. R5 (Italy, England, Wales)
12. Jasmine Joyce, against Italy
13. Katy Daley-Mclean, Jess Breach, Sarah Bern, Sarah Beckett , Emily Scarratt
14. Veronica Madia
15. Lisa Martin (49)
16. Verona
17. Pauline Bourdon
18. Bryony Cleall; sister Poppy played against Marine and Romane Ménager
19. Lleucu George
20. Manuela Furlan

Answers will be posted tomorrow – as a teaser – and to keep you coming back…

A Rugby Quiz (questions valid up to Christmas 2018)

1. In the 2018-19 Tyrrells Premier 15s season, what is the highest scoring draw, and between which sides?
2. What connects Caity Mattinson (Bristol), Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens) and Catherine Spencer (former England captain)?
3. Which two teams were involved in the only 0-0 draw thus far in the Tyrrells Premier 15s?
4. Who refereed the first final of the Tyrrells Premier 15s?
5. Which club boasts the second-largest rugby stadium in England?
6. What links Cleve with Shaftesbury?
7. What links Rachael Burford, Shaunagh Brown, Teya Ashworth and Fiona Pocock (all Harlequins) and Amelia Harper (Loughborough)?
8. Which 4 players started all three Quilters Autumn 2018 international matches for England?
9. Name 2 England debutants of 2018 who were not part of the Red Roses squad for the Quilter test matches in November.
10. How many non-English international 100-cappers are there? Who are they?
11. Which Tyrrells Premier 15s club boasts two front-line left-footed place-kickers?
12. Which club sent its near neighbours to Coventry?
13. Who is the only player to have been selected to the Dream Team after the World Cups of both 2014 and 2017?
14. How many times does Ellie Green (Harlequins) bend at the waist before taking a place kick?
15. Who scored England’s last try in the 2017 World Cup?

Quiz Answers

1. 26-26 Quins, Bristol
2. Twins
3. Waterloo, DMP
4. Sara Cox
5. The Darlington Arena
6. Two Bristol Bears homes
7. All from Kent
8. Sarah McKenna, Leanne Riley, Abbie Scott, Kelly Smith
9. Caity Mattinson, Charlotte Pearce
10. Donna Kennedy (Scotland 115 caps) Louise Rickard (Wales 112 caps)
11. Bristol: Elinor Snowsill, Lucy Attwood
12. Wasps sent Richmond in Round 6 2018
13. Emily Scarratt
14. Once
15. Izzy Noel-Smith