Lark Atkin-Davies to start for Bristol 16 weeks after giving birth
Lark Atkin-Davies is back. The England hooker will start for Bristol Bears against Harlequins on Saturday, 17 October, just 16 weeks after the birth of her first child.
The 31-year-old has not played a competitive match since the World Cup final in September 2025. She played in all six of England's matches at that home tournament as the Red Roses lifted the trophy at a sold-out Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, according to BBC Sport.
A hooker is the front-row forward who strikes for the ball in the scrum — that coiled push for possession after a minor offence — and who throws in at the lineout, where lifted jumpers compete for the throw from touch. Atkin-Davies has made that shirt her own for club and country since joining Bristol in 2022.
Her daughter, Olive, was born around four months ago. Atkin-Davies brought the newborn to watch the Red Roses for the first time last month, with England Rugby sharing footage of the "very special spectator".
Saturday's game is a PWR Cup tie, the separate cup competition that runs alongside the league season in women's rugby in England. Bristol then begin the 2026-27 Premiership Women's Rugby campaign away to the same opponents, Harlequins, on Sunday, 22 November.
Atkin-Davies is one of several new mothers in and around the Bristol and England set-ups. Bears and England lock Abbie Ward gave birth to her second child in the summer, while England captain Zoe Stratford gave birth to her first child in recent weeks.
She announced last December that she was pregnant, with her baby due in June. At that point she had won 74 caps for England.
Her club future is already settled. Atkin-Davies signed a two-year contract extension with Bristol in March 2025, according to Bristol Bears. She won her 50th England cap against Canada at Sandy Park in Exeter in 2023, after eight appearances for England Under-20s earlier in her career.
What makes this stand out is the speed of the return. Sixteen weeks after birth to starting in the front row is quick by any measure. For fans, this means Bristol get back a proven finisher and leader just as the cup run builds toward the league opener.
