Marlie Packer
Marlie Packer (born 2 October 1989) is a female rugby union player (back row / flanker) for Saracens and England Women. She was part of the winning 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup squad.[1]
in 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 2 October 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Yeovil, Somerset, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 73 kg (161 lb; 11 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby Union Career
Packer began playing rugby at an early age for the Ivel Barbarians in Yeovil.[2]
She played for Bath in 2007 to 2009 with teammate Natasha Hunt, then later joined Bristol. Packer currently plays for leading Premier 15's side Saracens Women.[3]
She was England Red Rose #150 and made her 15's debut in 2008 in a convincing win against Sweden in Amsterdam.
She was a leading member of the 2014 Rugby World Cup winning squad that beat Canada in the final.
She was named in the squad for the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland where England again reached the final and is aiming for the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.[4][5]
By November 2020 she had made 74 England 15’s appearances.
Marlie also 10 England 7’s appearances to her name and was part of the England squad at the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow.
Marlie has won multiple honours in her rugby career to date...
She was a Women’s RWC Winner in 2014 & a losing RWC finalist in 2017. She has also won four 6 NationsGrand Slam titles with England, the latest in Nov 2020.
She has 2 won back-to-back Premier 15’s titles with Saracens Women in 2018 & 2019. She was also awarded Bristol Coaches Player of the Season in 2013 & Saracens Women Coaches Player of the Season in 2020.
She was awarded the Freedom of Yeovil in 2014 and is an Honorary Member of Yeovil RFC.
Personal life
Packer is a plumber by profession and has an NVQ3 qualification in the trade. She worked for HomeServe until she was offered a professional contact by England Rugby. [6][7]
She is also a coach for the Essex Ladies U18's team and has her Level 2 Coaching Badge.
She is an experienced public speaker and has made numerous media appearances as a TV commentator.
In September 2020 Packer became a working mum with the birth of a baby boy, Oliver.
Marlie owns 2 dogs, one named Sunny.
Packer is represented by sports marketing experts, The Athlete Media Group, and is a brand ambassador for Castore.[8]
References
- Alison Donnelly (Scrum Queens) (July 2014). "England name WC squad". Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- WGSweet (Western Gazette) (18 August 2014). "Women's Rugby World Cup: Marlie Packer helps England to trophy". Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ChronSport (18 August 2014). "Former Bath Rugby duo Natasha Hunt and Marlie Packer help England to Women's Rugby World Cup glory". Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- "England announce squad for 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup". RFU. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- Mockford, Sarah (2017-06-29). "England name their squad for their Women's Rugby World Cup defence". Rugby World. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- RBS 6 Nations. "Marlie Packer". Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- Independent.co.uk (4 August 2014). "Plumber Marlie Packer happy to forget day job as England eye-up final". Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- Hardcastle, Jenny (20 May 2020). "Introducing England Rugby Player - Marlie Packer". Castore. Retrieved 31 October 2020.