Chiefs Women squad members included in England women's pathway camps

Members of the wider Chiefs Women's squad have been named for selection to the England women's pathway positional camps.

These two positional camps are a fantastic opportunity to increase understanding of specific positions in the senior professional environment for young, up-and-coming players throughout the country.

The camps will be led by a coaching staff which includes Red Roses' world cup winning coaches Sarah Hunter, Nathan Catt and Lou Meadows.

Exeter College's Elizabeth Hirons, Rose Hooper, Honey Kerslake, Beth Hall and Izzy Firth as well as University of Exeter's Tilly Pulfer have been selected alongside Chiefs Women's Lilly Plowman and Maddie Flutey.

Poppy Leitch said of the Exeter players involved: "It is amazing to have eight players from Exeter named in the U23 positional camp. These players from both the Exeter College and University of Exeter programmes have been standouts since pre-season and deserve the recognition and opportunity.

"Over the past couple of months, we have worked hard to invest in our pathway. We have seen the return with many players making their debut for Exeter Chiefs in the recently successful cup campaign, in which Chiefs finished third.

"Moreover, Exeter College are unbeaten in their ACE league and EURFC have started their BUCS Super Rugby campaign with an impressive 21-40 win over the University of Edinburgh.

"To now have eight players in the positional camp is not only an accolade to the players and their efforts, but also the coaches within the programmes investing in their development."

England U20 Women's head coach LJ Lewis, who will lead the camp, said: “Heading into a fresh campaign, we’re incredibly excited and motivated after an historic summer by our Red Roses.

“As a pathway, we want to maximise our players’ technical understanding of their positional demands, with this weekend a crucial touchpoint in their development and opportunity for players to take ownership over their own journey.

“Our purpose across the weekend is to increase the understanding of positional and unit skillsets and demands for our best pathway talent. We are excited to have the Red Roses coaches across the camp to help players gain a deeper understanding of the unique physical, tactical, and technical requirements of their specific positions.”