England women rugby stars help Guernsey players

England rugby stars have said they were "blown away" by the response to a coaching session they ran in Guernsey.

Red Roses captain Marlie Packer and her team-mate Rosie Galligan visited the Guernsey Girls' Rugby Academy in Footes Lane, St Peter Port, on Sunday to train some young players.

Galligan said the pair enjoyed the day with Packer, who was part of the England team that won the Women's Rugby World Cup in 2014, adding they hoped it could inspire more girls to play the sport.

The event was organised through Ben Rowe, who is Galligan's uncle, and he said he was "chuffed to bits" to get his niece and Packer down to the academy.

Dozens of girls were put through their paces by the England duo, who are preparing for their opening 2025 Women's Six Nations game against Italy on 23 March.

Packer and Galligan gave the girls tips on passing, tackling and other techniques from the sport before holding a question and answer session.

Packer, who also played in the 2017 and 2021 World Cup finals, said it felt "special" to be able to coach the young players.

The flanker said: "Me doing my bit and Rosie as well coming here hopefully will inspire those girls to pick up a ball."

Galligan said when she was young there were only a few girls who played the sport at youth level, so having so many turn up for the training session felt inspirational.

"It still kind of blows you away when you do go down and get 40 or 50 girls turning up," the second row forward said.

"We're definitely paving the way for the younger generation."

Mr Rowe, who is a girls' coach at the academy, said it was brilliant for all involved to have his niece and Packer coach the girls.

He said: "We're chuffed to bits - the girls have all got smiles on their faces.

"These girls look up to Marlie and Rosie and its good for the whole of Guernsey."

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