Starting at the club in September 2021, Maria has been hugely influential in progressing Bath Rugby’s Women and Girls project.
Combining her role as the club’s Women and Girls’ Rugby Development Lead, Maria is also the Head Coach of Team Bath’s women’s rugby team.
Last summer, Maria led Bath Rugby’s first ever Women’s Sevens team to elite tournament success, with the club finishing 5th from 12 in a strong and experienced league.
Providing a strong link with the club, Maria provides her coaching expertise to Team Bath, which saw them achieve their best result so far finishing second in the Western 1A League.
Having formerly played for Bath Rugby Ladies, we caught up with Maria to find out how she’s feeling ahead of the Double Header this weekend.
How important are Double Headers in showcasing the women’s game?
They’re extremely important. When we made our pledge to the game in May 2021, a key aspect was promoting the women’s game and inspiring the next generation through our promotion of role models. A highlight last year was the second double header – all the young fans asking for autographs and photographs of the Bath Rugby Ladies players. I’m looking forward to this double header to showcase the improvement in Bath Rugby Ladies’ game and see some exciting players on a big stage against a tough opposition.
Will any of the University team players be featured this weekend?
Historically there has always been a strong link; this fixture is no different and there is a strong alumni and current student population at the heart of the team. I’m thrilled to see Sophie and Nia run out as starters – hooker and winger respectively. With first year Lucy McGrath who will come off the bench and Mairéad McErlean who is the university club captain. So, it’s brilliant to see 4 university players with the 1XV.
The university season has got off to a brilliant start, beating Cardiff Met 2XV 35-24 in the first game of the season. Five backs got on the scoresheet, but the platform was set by the forwards – dominating in the scrum and a successful line-out provided good front-foot ball for the exciting young backline. Bath Rugby Ladies’ Nia Grundy scored twice from the wing, which she did throughout her appearances for Bath Rugby Women’s Sevens in the summer. The centre partnership of Becca Lacey and Bethan Thomas worked brilliantly and they both scored a try each. First year Liv Taylor was impressive at full-back and scored from deep after a kick from Cardiff Met. She also added the extras for her own score and two other tries by her teammates. Flyhalf, and another debutant, Nell Powell was also 100% from the tee slotting 2/2 in tough, blustery conditions.
The fixture saw seven players make their university debut for Bath. For a new team, the performance has set a good foundation for next week’s away trip to newly promoted Exeter 2XV.
What have been the developments in the women’s game over the past year?
It’s been a fantastic time for women’s sport over the past year with lots of exciting events like the commonwealth games, Lionesses winning the Euros, and the Red Roses out in New Zealand currently competing in the Rugby World Cup. We’ve also had lots of developments in our region. We’re up and running with our Rugby Elite Academy with Bath College and we have five fantastic students from four clubs and recruitment is ongoing for the 2023/24 academic year. They are training in Bath and at Farleigh House, developing their skills both on and off-pitch. We ran our second residential at Warminster School in August which saw 50 11–17-year-olds attend a four-day, three-night camp, giving them a taste of professional life as a rugby player. We are also working through the application to enter the Premier 15s in the next cycle (2023/24) and as a club we’re so excited to continue the growth of women and girls’ rugby in our area and beyond.
Women’s 7s Tournament Success
Our inaugural Sevens team was a brilliant experience for those involved. As coaches, players and support staff, to be able to bring together an exciting group of players for the first time and represent the Blue, Black and White was a really important step in our ambition to be a professional women’s team.