Red Roses recognised with Honours Board
As the Red Roses trained on the Twickenham turf, pioneering England players were there to watch and to see the unveiling of a dedicated honours board in the England changing room.
Among those in attendance was Gill Burns, whose 14-year international career from 1988 to 2002 included 75 caps, a record at that time.
"It will come as no shock, to those that know me, that I was moved to tears when I first saw the honours board bearing the Red Roses’ names," she said.
"I never had the chance to play at Twickenham Stadium. However, it feels so special now that all Red Roses are recognised alongside the men at The Home of England Rugby. It’s a huge honour to be included in this way.
"It’s important to recognise all those who helped to grow the women’s game in the early years. Male allies, like Jim Greenwood (Scotland & British Lions) and Steve Jew, who coached England and are sadly no longer with us.
"We will be forever grateful that they believed in us and invested so much into the women’s game. There will be thousands of pioneer players and administrators at the game on the weekend, and many more of our male allies. Along with enjoying what we hope will be a fantastic game, lots of us will be proudly wearing our honours caps."
Carol Isherwood, the first England and Great Britain captain, said: “This recognition for all those women who played for their nation and all the women we represented validates our game and puts it on a standing with the men’s game in The Home of England Rugby.”
Sue Dorrington, who played hooker in 13 Tests in the days when England’s women might play one match a year, said of the Grand Slam decider between England and France: “This is truly epic. I played here for Richmond in a Cup final in 1987, when we struggled to get a crowd of 200. Now we are approaching 60,000 which will be incredible. I’m so excited, especially as they told us that this would never happen – but here we are!”
Sarah Hunter, who retired as England captain in this campaign said: “We are going to experience an incredible day, 20 years after England’s women first played here as a double header with the men. With a world record crowd, the atmosphere is going to be unbelievable. I wish the girls all the luck in the world, and I know they will absolutely smash it.”
