Natasha Hunt says Red Roses have outgrown post-match selfies
England scrum-half Natasha Hunt says Red Roses players can no longer stop for every selfie and autograph after a match. The crowds are simply too big.
Hunt, the link between forwards and backs who passes the ball away from rucks and scrums, made the admission in an interview with Rugby Union Weekly. She said the post-match scrum of fans wanting pictures and signatures has outgrown what players can manage.
The numbers explain why. In 2019, a crowd of 4,674 for a Women's Six Nations game against France set a new record for a standalone Red Roses match away from a Rugby World Cup, according to BBC Sport. That record now looks tiny.
A world-record sell-out crowd of 81,885 watched England — the Red Roses is the nickname for the England women's national rugby union team — beat Canada to become world champions at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. More than 50,000 tickets have already been sold for their next return there against New Zealand.
Hunt made her England debut in 2011, when those big Twickenham days were hard to imagine. She came through as a 22-year-old against the USA, started the final when England won the 2014 World Cup, and was picked for a third World Cup in 2025, according to England Rugby. She now plays her club rugby for Gloucester-Hartpury and has won 90 caps.
Rugby is not alone in feeling the squeeze. Women's Super League club Chelsea have banned their players from posing for photos and signing autographs after matches, saying it was no longer safe or sustainable.
For fans, this means disappointment at the final whistle. Players still want that connection. There are just too many people reaching over the barrier.
