England star Hannah Botterman has set her sights on becoming the best loosehead prop in the world by the end of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Botterman shone in England’s initial 69-7 victory over the United States in Sunderland. This was the start of a campaign in which the Red Roses have been the clear favorites to win the entire tournament.
Botterman scored the second of England’s 11 tries and, although she was delighted with the team’s effort, she also has her own personal goals.
I worked really hard during the off-season to get myself in decent shape. I don’t want to be shy about it, I want to be the best loosehead prop in the world. I want to cement that in this tournament. For me, it was a good start, but I feel like I still have a lot more to give.
Hannah Botterman
Botterman also joked about the attention other players receive: “Obviously, the commentators love Ellie Kildunne, so… She does all the good stuff, so yeah.”
England faced a United States team that included Hope Rogers, considered one of the best loosehead props in the world. “Obviously, Hope is a very good player, she plays very well week after week. But I don’t want there to be any question [as to whether Botterman is the best prop in the world], to be honest.”Hannah Botterman scored a try in England’s big 69-7 victory over the United States.
“I think I’m in the conversation and now I just want to keep going and keep improving. Everyone can improve everywhere, but for a long time, my scrummaging wasn’t the best. I’ve really worked on that and I think that’s an area of strength now.”
“Regarding the attack, I’m happy; defensively I think I can be a little stronger and throw my weight around a bit more. I feel physically in a very good place, now it’s just about delivering the performances.”
“I’ve put myself in a physically capable position. It’s just whether I can produce what I want to produce. The desire has always been there, but I feel like I can do a little more now and I hope that’s been shown on the field.”
“But ultimately, I want the team to do as well as possible, and if I perform well within that, with your Ellie Kildunnes doing well, your Sadia Kabeyas, your Meg Jones, if everyone performs, then we put ourselves in a very good place. It’s been first class.”
Botterman also paid tribute to the work that scrum coach, Nathan Catt, has done at the camp.
“Catty has been great. She has brought us a lot of experience. She works very well with the complexities of the first lines and what we want to do. She has been huge for us, and having someone specifically take care of that area has been beneficial for us.”
In general, Botterman was pleased with England’s performance in the first round and was delighted to play in front of a record-breaking crowd in Sunderland.
“We are very fortunate to be in the position we are in now. Seeing all the people who have come before us and who have really worked to put us in this position, we obviously benefit from that now, but if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here. We just have to soak this in now.”
