Natasha Hunt: I still have not reached my potential and the Lions carrot is dangling

Telegraph

26-04-2025

Natasha Hunt wants to set the record straight. 'I don't hate people mentioning my age,' says the England scrum-half. 'The thing I hate is when people mention my age and it's tied with, 'Look at how she's playing now'. It's this perception you should get worse as you get older. I'm playing some of the best rugby I've ever played and I still haven't reached my potential. It's exciting.'
Hunt has been a mainstay in a white shirt for more than a decade. She might be entering the twilight of her career, but her outlook on the game has not changed. She still has designs to be quicker, to refine her box-kicking and fine-tune her ball distribution. And, aged 36, she has an even bigger goal in mind.
'If I'm honest, the Lions carrot is dangling,' she says, referencing the inaugural British and Irish Lions women's tour to New Zealand in 2027. 'I'd love to give myself the best opportunity to vie for a shirt there. If that doesn't come off or I decide before then that I'm done and my body can't take any more, I'll be so content in what I've done in my career.
'Equally, if I'm not good enough to keep playing the level I need to be able to attain something like that, then that's OK. It's not going to define my career.'
Hunt, one of four members of England's Six Nations squad who won the Rugby World Cup in 2014, considers retracting the Lions comment for fear her ambition might be perceived as borderline arrogance. In the end, she decides not to, feeling empowered by the fact that deep down, she has more to give.
Hunt has reinvented herself as England 's first-choice nine since her shock omission from the 2022 World Cup squad. In the intervening years, she has become the beating heart of a Gloucester-Hartpury side who have won consecutive honours in the women's domestic game.
In her team's latest title-winning campaign, she was the league's in-form scrum-half, spearheading Gloucester-Hartpury's attack with rapid ruck distribution and snappy offloads.
And yet Hunt detests how praise for her performance is inherently linked to her age and the raised eyebrows that follow. It is quite bewildering when one considers the increasing number of women competing well into their thirties.
The great footballer Marta, Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer, played in the Paris Olympics final last year at 38, showing age and experience should not be a barrier to peak performance in an era where science is prolonging many athletes' careers.
Earlier this week, New Zealand rugby player Portia Woodman-Wickliffe announced she was coming out of retirement, aged 33, to target a spot at the World Cup.
'It's talked about now because we're the first generation doing it,' says Hunt, who started her international career in the pay-to-play era as an amateur. 'Sarah Hunter [the former Red Roses captain] played until she was 38. Mike Brown [39] has spoken so much in the media about how people keep talking about his age.
'There's so much you can do to look after your body now from a nutritional perspective or sports-science view. As long as you get your recovery right and you know what works for you, we'll see careers go on and on. This is the best job in the world – why wouldn't I want to do it for as long as possible?'
As part of her quest to make John Mitchell's World Cup squad later this year – and have a shot at redemption after cruelly missing out in 2022 – Hunt has joined her club and country team-mate Zoe Aldcroft in forgoing alcohol.
'I think the antioxidants in red wine helped me but I've actually given up alcohol,' she says. 'We're just trying to put ourselves in the best possible space for this year. I gave up chocolate before the 2014 World Cup so I thought I had to go big [this year]. Love a glass of red, me.'
Hunt stepped away from the England set-up for a year in 2021, citing her unhappiness within the team environment. She has since credited Sean Lynn, the former Gloucester-Hartpury coach who is now leading Wales, for positively shaping her last few years, and she holds Mitchell in equally high regard.
'Mitch has made a huge difference to the squad, especially in the brutal honesty that he brings,' says Hunt of the head coach. 'We all know where we stand and what our jobs are. I had a good sit-down chat with him after the Ireland game to see what I need to work on and I just love how much he gets people. I feel like he really understands you as a person and drives me in the way I need to be driven.'
Her next assignment is helping England chase an 80-minute performance against France in another Grand Slam decider at Twickenham on Saturday. The Red Roses are on a 24-match winning streak in all competitions – and 14 consecutive wins over the French – so does Hunt believe a defeat would benefit the team ahead of the pressure of a home World Cup?
'I don't think it would be the worst thing,' says Hunt, diplomatically. 'There are so many ways to look at it. If we can go the whole way and not lose another game until I'm done, that'll be awesome. As long as you review and you're on it with everything that has been asked of you, you can get what you need out of the right situation.'
Right now, Hunt is getting the most out of hers.