‘I love how you can be any shape or size in rugby’
Rochelle Clark tells Kate Rowan in Grenoble that sport has helped boost her self-esteem
As England women face France in the shadow of the Alps tonight, it seems an appropriate time to celebrate Rochelle Clark. England’s stalwart – known as “Rocky” – has 135 Test appearances to her name and is the most capped front row in either the men’s or women’s game.
Clark had acquired the nickname “Shelley” in her youth but, with fly-half Shelley Rae in the England squad that toured Canada in 2003, the then 22-year-old needed an alternative moniker. Canada’s own mountain range duly provided, and the name has stuck.
Clark is a different woman now, as battle-hardened as one would expect from such an experienced player, but physically, too. As a teenager, she was a self-described “big girl” and weighed more than 17 stone when she made her England debut. For her second cap, she was more than three stones lighter.
Clark is candid in revealing how rugby helped to boost her selfesteem. “Getting my first England cap was the inspiration for me to get fit and trim, so I could play for England again,” she tells The Daily
Telegraph. “Having the confidence and being much happier with my body image, I went from being slumped over to being quite proud.”
The 36-year-old’s story can inspire others. “I say to any young person, try out rugby because while you might not be fantastic at one sport, they are crying out for props and second rows in the women’s game,” she said. “One of the things I love about rugby is that you can be any shape or size. From being one of the slower, bigger girls perhaps not picked first for netball or hockey in school, to then being appreciated for your size and your strength and playing for your country.”
With the change to her body also came an evolution to how she operated as a front row. “I had to change how I played,” she recalls. “Before, I relied on being a big, heavy ball carrier, and I used to score a lot of tries from five metres out. Having lost weight, I started to get held up over the line and I had to learn to manage my body in a different way. I had to learn to be more dynamic in the contact area.”
That change has given her longevity – she has now surpassed Gethin Jenkins, of Wales and the Lions, as the most-capped international front row, an achievement she calls “pretty crazy” – and means she can approach today’s game with a semblance of perspective.
Le Crunch is, nevertheless, a potential Grand Slam decider as England and France are the only undefeated sides in the Women’s Six Nations. Clark describes the challenge posed by their closest rivals as “awesome” and is excited by the fact that more than 15,000 tickets have been sold for the 20,000-capacity Stade des Alpes.
Clark is also ahead of the curve when it comes to women in rugby. She is employed full-time as a coach for men’s side Chesham Stags and does not shy away from the challenges she has faced. “I do have the banter with the guys, but if I need to use my authority as a coach if they have gone off track, I am happy using that. I absolutely felt I had to be tougher with them because I am a woman,” she says.
“When we first came into coaching the Chesham Stags, I came in probably a little bit harder than now to make sure they know you are serious and good at what you do. We’ve had some great results and they are very responsive to having female coaches.”
Her coaching ambitions are no slimmer than those she holds for her playing career. “I hope I can be one of those headlinemaking female coaches leading the way in the future,” she says. “I don’t like doing things that are easy, I enjoy and love coaching, I have a passion for it. Why can’t I be one of the best coaches? I want to get to the top of my game in my coaching career, too.”