Bristol Varsity Series - UoB Women's Rugby Captain Annabel Malins
Posted on: 11 Mar 2016We spoke with Annabel Malins, Captain of the University of Bristol Women’s Rugby Club in the lead up to the culmination of the 2016 Bristol Varsity Series on Monday 13 March. The rugby Varsity games are held at The Memorial Stadium where the women take the field at 6pm while the men kick off a 7:45pm.
(1)(1).png "Women's Rugby Varsity Bristol 2016")
For further information on the Varsity Series as a whole, and tickets to the Rugby Varsity, please visit varsityseries.com For more info on the UoB Women's Rugby Club head over to their Facebook Page.
Hi Annabel. Firstly, what are you studying at UoB?
French and Portuguese.
What year are you in?
Second year. I have a placement year next year so I will be away from Bristol and the team sadly. I’ll be spending the first term in France and the second in Brazil but will definitely be looking out for the results and checking in with the guys.
Are you from Bristol?
I’m from Bicester near Oxford and grew up on my family’s farm!
What position do you play?
Loose-head prop
How has the season gone so far?
It’s actually gone really well – we’re top of Western 1A and are looking to be promoted to the Premiership at the end of the season. We also managed our first ever win over Cardiff Met this season so that was a great landmark to achieve.
Have the team done anything different to prepare for Varsity?
To be honest, no. We are right in the middle of the tough stage of the season and the games are coming around quickly! We had a game on Wednesday 9 March against Swansea University which was a tough encounter and took up a lot of our time both physically and with the off-field preparations. We’re approaching this game with more focus and intensity than most – it’s UWE! – but no special prep has gone into it.
What do you think your chances are like for the game?
We’re reasonably confident as we’ve had a good season so far but UWE have also had a great season themselves. They’re second in their division only to Hartpury and there’s obviously no shame in that. We began this season with only 6 returning players in the whole club and UWE have really improved so this will be a much closer game than last year...but I’m confident!
Which players are the ones to watch?
Sue Neumann is our Number 8 and current England u20 international at Flanker. She just competed against France in their u20 6 Nantions game which was great to see. Tilly Vaughan-Fowler (Outside Centre), Alice Rooke (Flanker) and Izzy Day (Fly Half) are all game-changers and definitely are players to look out for on the day.
Did you play rugby before coming to university?
No, I didn’t actually. I came to uni and really wanted to be involved in a team sport. My elder sister played rugby at Newcastle University and suggested I give it a go. I’m definitely glad I did.
What advice would you give to the captain that succeeds you?
Take every opportunity available to get the team noticed and publicised around Bristol. Women’s sport as a whole is growing massively – so is rugby – and we need to be a part of that.
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Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
