The Amy Cokayne Column: New faces, farewells & leaving boots on a train
In the first instalment of her Six Nations column, Amy Cokayne reflects on a record-breaking and historic week in Newcastle.
There’s no doubt that camp had a very different energy when we met at St George’s Park three weeks out from the Six Nations. There were a lot of new faces in camp for lots of different reasons: Retirements, injuries and people performing well in the Premier 15s.
But in many ways it felt like everyone’s first day back at school, trying to remember the “England” way of doing things. It was refreshing to know that we accepted where we were in the new cycle and that mistakes were going to happen. This was in very stark contrast to the relentless, high-performance mindset we had at the Rugby World Cup.
We were back at the England rugby training centre at Pennyhill Park for match week. Our schedule had changed in terms of which days were training days and which were rest days. A big change was that our ‘Pressure Performance’ session had been replaced with our new “Battle” session. It’s our last session before selection and everyone was trying hard not to read too much into the teams we were put into.
The night before the game we had shirt presentation; I’ve been to a fair few before, but this one was by far the longest. Sunts (Sarah Hunter) expertly recited all four new caps’ rugby journeys that had led to them being sat in the room to get their first shirt. I’m always amazed with how detailed she is.
Then Mo (Natasha Hunt) and Scaz (Emily Scarratt) said a bit on Sunts’ career in the style of “This is your life” with the red book, something that I’m too young to understand! They covered all the bases, had lots of age digs (which I told Scaz was a bit rich coming from her), and of course a few tears!
FIRSTS… AND LASTS
This Scotland fixture represented so many firsts. The first game since the World Cup. The first game of the Six Nations. The first time we would play with names on our shirts. The first cap for four new players welcomed into the Red Roses family.
However, all of that was outweighed by one big ‘last’: the last game for an England legend, Sarah Hunter, playing in her 141st game across a 16-year career, bowing out where it all began in her hometown of Newcastle. Her legacy will always be that of a true professional, both on and off the pitch. But for me, what made her truly great was her ability to enjoy the journey with that ever-present smile on her face.
Once we got to Kingston Park a few of us like to do a pitch walk to get a feel for the place and check conditions, thankfully the wind and rain held off which as a hooker was a real bonus!
I tried to soak up the amazing atmosphere as I stood to attention for the national anthem, but then the first half went by in a flash. My overwhelming feeling at half time was just how fast the game was - I took a while to catch my breath, hoping that the many caffeine gums and energy gels I had will be enough fuel in the tank for the second half.
The week before camp I left my boots on the train, so instead of my subtle black boots I had been training in bright luminous yellow boots all week. I knew I couldn’t play in them because my dad would disown me (forwards only wear black boots is his rule) so luckily Jess Breach let me borrow a pair of hers. It was only fitting that I scored a try on the wing!
We still scored three driving maul tries to keep the purists happy, but it was really evident the variety we have as a squad, getting the backs a bit more ball so they can show off their silky skills! Claudia’s second try came off a scrum, and I remember after she scored, Berner (Sarah Bern) and I were still in our own half congratulating ourselves, claiming that it was all because of our efforts in the scrum (as all front rowers should).
Scotland is always a great fixture as so many of the girls play in the Premier 15’s. The battle is ferocious on the field but it’s all hugs and catch-ups afterwards. Newcastle didn’t disappoint; they cheered so loud it was difficult to hear the line-out calls and they gave Sunter an amazing standing ovation as she left the field for the final time.
With week one done, our focus moves straight onto Italy and playing at Franklin's Gardens, which is a personal favourite of mine. We had a day at home before heading straight back to Pennyhill Park to do it all again.
