Sudbury Rugby Club members rejoice as Connie Powell of Gloucester-Hartpury makes try-scoring debut for England Women against USA

Former Sudbury Rugby Club player Connie Powell made a try-scoring debut for England Women in their 89-0 demolition of the USA yesterday.

The Hadleigh-raised hooker, who plays her club rugby with Gloucester-Hartpury, came off the bench at Worcester’s Sixways Stadium to contribute to a memorable victory in the Red Roses’ final autumn international.

It saw Powell, who was playing for Sudbury up to the age of 15, end a long wait for her first senior England outing, with injuries restricting her progress since her first call-up three years ago, aged 18.

Speaking in her post-match interview with the BBC cameras she said: "It was an amazing surreal experience, playing in front of this amount of people. It is just a dream come true really."

Asked if she was hungry for more, she replied: "Starving."

On selecting her as one of 11 uncapped players, head coach Simon Middleton said: “We have selected players on their form in the Allianz Premier 15s as well as the way players fared in our summer pre-season camps.

“Connie Powell is a player we’ve had an eye on for a long time and she’s been very unlucky with injuries in the past. We’ve got nothing but good things to say about her. She adds depth to our specialist hooking position.”

The former Hadleigh High School pupil will be hoping to add to her cap when the Red Roses look to win a fourth straight Six Nations title in April.

It comes ahead of the World Cup, delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which will be hosted by reigning champions New Zealand next October.