- Published
England scrum-half Natasha Hunt says it is no longer possible to satisfy fans' post-match requests for selfies and autographs, given the Red Roses' success and growth over the past decade.
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it → publish → decade
Hunt, 37, made her England debut in 2011, when the team were regularly playing in front of three-figure crowds.
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team → make → crowds
Even in 2019, an attendance of 4,674 at the Women's Six Nations game against France set a new record for a standalone Red Roses game away from a Rugby World Cup.
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attendance → set → Cup
More than 50,000 tickets have been sold for Saturday's meeting with New Zealand at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium, a year on from a world record sell-out crowd of 81,885 who watched the Red Roses beat Canada to become world champions at the venue.
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Roses → sell → venue
"I didn't think ever in my lifetime I would be in a position where we'd get crowds the size that we do," Hunt told Rugby Union Weekly.
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Hunt → think → Weekly
"It is unbelievable and we definitely don't take it lightly.
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we → take → it
"We're so appreciative and we absolutely adore our fans and love them and what they do for us and have done for us.
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they → adore → us
"But I do think we're in a tricky space at the minute where there's that expectation that everyone has to have a photo or a signature or something.
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everyone → think → photo
Sometimes you go and you see people and they will say 'can you go get Ellie [Kildunne]?
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you → go → Ellie
Can you go get Meg [Jones]?'
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you → go → Meg
And I really can't because they're probably being bombarded by 700 people over there.
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they → bombard → people
"Some of the girls have had DMs saying 'it would have made our day, we're disappointed' and it breaks your heart because you want everyone to have the best time ever."
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everyone → have → time
The same issue has emerged in women's football, with Women's Super League club Chelsea banning their players from posing for photos and signing autographs after matches - saying that although it was a "tough" decision, it was "no longer safe or sustainable".
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it → emerge → matches
Former Chelsea and England defender Millie Bright previously expressed concern that players were become "collectibles" to fans, emphasising that "we are humans the same as you" in an Instagram post.,
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we → express → post
external
Hunt says players' performances, possible injury concerns, recovery schedule and family commitments can all affect their ability to interact with fans after games.
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performances → say → games
"If one of the girls is injured or they've not had the best game, their capacity and energy to come to you and give back might be a little bit less than others on that day," she added.
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she → injure → day
"I'm not saying we don't want to have the photos and autographs, but there is a cap on the time where we have to be back in the changing rooms doing the recovery.
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we → say → recovery
"And family is huge for us, let us see our families first.
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us → let → families
We'll do everything we can to make your day, but just be aware we're doing our best so please just bear with us."
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we → do → us
Hunt says that in the early days of her Test career, it wasn't possible to imagine such a problem.
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it → say → problem
"It was everyone's parents at Esher Rugby Club back in the day," she added.
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she → add → day
"I would have been out there for 20 minutes, signed everything twice over, everyone had a chat with me, then gone in [to the changing room]!"
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everyone → sign → room
The Red Roses have partly built their relationship with their growing fanbase by engaging as people, as well as players.
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Roses → build → people
Captain Jones' openness about her grief for her parents, and star full-back Kildunne's willingness to talk about her body dysmorphia are just two examples.
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openness → talk → dysmorphia
A recent survey,, external carried out by The Good, The Scaz and The Rugby podcast, revealed a difference in what attracted different genders to women's rugby, with 62% of women, compared to 41% of men, saying they "watch women's rugby because I identify with the players' causes, interests or specific challenges that players face".
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players → carry → that
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