"There is a stereotype about scrum-halves - short of stature, big of ego, brash, loud and cocksure. Lucy Packer doesn't fit it. Not nearly. "I don't really enjoy interviews," she says. "It's not really my thing. But I'm getting a lot more comfortable doing it." She is getting the practice. The 26-year-old and her quicksilver delivery are key to England's hopes in their Grand Slam decider against France on Sunday."
"Somewhere, she admits, that isn't her natural habitat. At England's team base, while her room-mate Maud Muir is downstairs playing games with the rest of the team, Packer is more likely to be upstairs reading. Science-fiction bestseller The Martian is currently on her bedside table. "Maud's obviously the more extroverted friend, we are opposites but we really suit each other," says Packer. Her social media is similarly quiet - a sparse 105 Instagram posts and little else."
"Her focus is instead on a part-time master's degree in neuroscience that she will start in September at University College London, focusing on the biochemistry of concussion. "It's a really big topic at the minute and something that I'm really passionate about," Packer adds. Grey matter is something Packer has to master on the pitch, as well as in her studies."
"Back on the morning of 12 November 2022, Simon Middleton took her aside in the lobby of the team's Auckland hotel. The then-England coach told Packer she would be starting the World Cup final against hosts New Zealand later that day. Packer, 22 and with only eight caps at the time, had thought her tournament was over. She had torn her ankle ligaments in the last-e"
Lucy Packer challenges the stereotype of brash, loud scrum-halves through a quieter, more introspective approach. She is becoming more comfortable with interviews while focusing on preparation rather than publicity. With Natasha Hunt sidelined by a knee injury, Packer has been pushed into a central role for England’s Grand Slam decider against France. At the team base, she spends time reading instead of socializing, with The Martian on her bedside table. She also plans to begin a part-time master’s degree in neuroscience at University College London, studying the biochemistry of concussion. Her interest in grey matter connects her academic focus to her on-pitch responsibilities.
Read at www.bbc.com
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