Great Britain sprinter Amy Hunt spent time with the England rugby union squad at their training base on Wednesday, taking in a practice session and sharing lunch with players ahead of Sunday’s Nations Championship fixture against Australia.
The 24-year-old athlete, who claimed four gold medals at last summer’s European Championships in Birmingham, is the latest prominent sporting figure brought in by head coach Steve Borthwick to offer insights to his players.
Inspiration from Other Sports
England back row Ben Earl offered his thoughts on the visit, expressing admiration for the sprinter’s accomplishments both on and off the track.
“She seemed buzzing to be here and we love spending time with people who have achieved something in another sport,” Earl told BBC Sport.
“Fraser Dingwall told me she has a degree from Cambridge and I always think it is amazing that people can study and achieve something in sport at the highest level.”
England defence coach Richard Wigglesworth also highlighted the mental boost that comes from interacting with high-performing athletes.
“We always get great energy when you get in winners and people who are trying to inspire others by what they do, which is what our lads want to do,” Wigglesworth stated, adding, “She’ll create some good connections.”
Hunt joins a growing list of distinguished guest visitors to the camp. 2021 US Open tennis champion Emma Raducanu visited before England defeated New Zealand last autumn. Earlier this year during the Six Nations, England football manager Thomas Tuchel and Olympic skeleton gold medallist Matt Weston both spent time with the squad.
Coaching Exchanges and November Schedule
Wednesday’s camp activities also included meetings with Leeds Rhinos assistant coaches Chev Walker and Scott Grix, as well as representatives from the UK Armed Forces team.
Borthwick and assistant coach Joe El-Abd will conduct a training session for the UK Armed Forces squad at Sandhurst on Thursday. The military team is scheduled to play Belgium in a Remembrance Day match on 11 November at Kingsholm in Gloucester.
Sunday’s international against the Wallabies marks the start of a four-match campaign for England on consecutive November weekends, with subsequent games lined up against Japan, New Zealand, and a yet-to-be-determined play-off opponent.
