Red Rose Rachael in awe of visionary Sadleir

RACHAEL Burford has commended World Rugby for launching their Coaching Internship Programme that has allowed Red Roses head coach Simon Middleton to bring Amy Turner into the England fold.

Ahead of next year’s World Cup in New Zealand, World Rugby will fund one female coaching intern to join the senior staff at nations that have qualified for the tournament.

That has allowed Middleton to promote former Harlequins player-coach Turner to his staff that is without forwards coach Richard Blaze, after his departure to Lee Blackett’s set-up at Wasps.

Burford says the scheme is testament to the new ground World Rugby general manager for women’s rugby, Katie Sadleir, is trying to forge.

“I’ve been fortunate to be at a lot of the discussions at World Rugby, being on the women’s advisory board and rugby committee, and a lot of inspiration comes from Katie Sadleir,” Burford said at the launch of the Girls Rugby Club, an online platform to boost girls and women’s rugby around the world.

“Her ambition to accelerate the development of women’s rugby is unreal, she wants to take on the way the whole world thinks, to normalise girls and women playing rugby. And also to get women involved off the field in rugby.

“There are so many great women who have played for years and then we have lost them from the sport when they would make great coaches, referees, administrators or executives.

“A lot of my ambition comes from working with people like Katie who has this no-limit approach to what women can achieve within the game.

“Seeing more directive from World Rugby with their internship that has allowed Amy Turner to take on a bigger role with the Red Roses is unreal. I played with her at Quins where she was player-coach and now it’s amazing to see the opportunity she has.”

Harlequins centre Burford, 34, who lifted the World Cup in 2014 and has 84 England caps, added: “We want to help grow women’s rugby. There are lots of issues and I don’t think the RFU can solve it all.”