Loughborough quintet named in England squad

NO fewer than five current and former Loughborough rugby players have been named in the England Women’s Rugby Squad for their upcoming tour of New Zealand.

Current students Amy Cokayne and Megan Jones lead the way, Cockayne a regular in the front row, whilst Jones a highly skilled fly half.

Cokayne played a key role for England in the Six Nations earlier this year, whilst at just 19 years of age Jones was the travelling reserve for Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Alumna Sarah Hunter will captain the side once again, the Sports Science and Maths graduate the 2016 World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year and the fourth most capped England player of all time.

Rounding out the quintet are Harriet Millar-Mills and Justine Lucas, the alumna both part of the Six Nations setup this year and capped over 60 times between them.

Of the opportunity to tour in the southern hemisphere Jones said: “It’s always an honour to earn international selection so I can’t wait to travel to New Zealand in a few days’ time as part of the squad. Rio was a great learning experience for me, so hopefully I can start to put that into practice on the pitch as part of the XV’s side.”

Loughborough Director of Rugby Alan Buzza added: “We are delighted to see strong Loughborough representation in the touring squad, but especially pleased for Amy and Meg who are both at the start of their international rugby journeys.

“Meg particularly has been rewarded for a lot of hard work to comeback from a number of injuries, and will add this tour to the experience she gained in Rio last summer. I wish the five girls and the England team the best of luck in New Zealand.”