Natasha Hunt handed Red Roses contract a year after World Cup snub

Natasha Hunt, the veteran England scrum-half, has been brought back in from the international wilderness after being awarded a Red Roses contract for the rest of the season.

Hunt, who captained Gloucester-Hartpury to their maiden Premiership Women’s Rugby title last year, was controversially left out of England’s World Cup squad in 2022. England went on to suffer an injury crisis at scrum-half ahead of the World Cup final, which they lost 34-31 to New Zealand at a sold out Eden Park.

Having featured during England’s victorious WXV campaign, Hunt is understood to have impressed new head coach John Mitchell and has been handed one of the upgraded contracts that the Rugby Football Union unveiled for their female earlier this year, worth up to £45,000 without bonuses.

The RFU originally announced deals for 32 players in July and indicated two additional contracts would be confirmed by the end of the year. Saracens scrum-half Ella Wyrwas, who has been capped six times already at England level, is the recipient of the other contract.

“Mo’s mindset to keep improving and push herself has seen her play some of the best rugby of her career over the past year,” said Charlie Hayter, the RFU’s head of women’s performance.

“She suits the way we want to approach the game and her experience is invaluable. During the recent WXV campaign, she enhanced the Red Roses culture and has bought into what we are aiming to achieve on and off the field as we embark on our new journey.”

As one of three surviving members of England’s 2014 World Cup victory along with Emily Scarratt and captain Marlie Packer, Hunt is one of the most experienced players in the Red Roses group.

The 33-year-old took a international break in November 2021 after revealing she was “unhappy” in the Red Roses camp, saying in a BBC interview that she was “clearly upset in different areas of training”.

Hunt and Wyrwas will link up with their international team-mates in January, when John Mitchell will lead his first training camp as head coach ahead of the Women’s Six Nations.

Hunt clearly part of John Mitchell’s Six Nations plans

There are few players in English rugby who are more diligent than Natasha Hunt. The zippy Gloucester-Hartpury playmaker - who was also an Olympian for GB women’s sevens team at the Tokyo Games - has been at the coalface of the Red Roses squad for the best part of a decade. Yet her international career has been shrouded in mystery of late.

Hunt has never revealed the true extent for wanting to take an international break in 2021 but as one door closed, another opened. She was part of the BBC’s commentary team for England’s autumn internationals that year, offering analysis on a professional Red Roses outfit to audiences of more than a million.

She has since established herself as a versatile pundit, having been pitchside for TNT Sports on the opening day of the new Premiership Women’s Rugby season.

Despite her high-profile omission from England’s World Cup squad, Hunt always maintained her England career was by no means finished and a series of fine performances for her club saw her involved again for the 2023 Women’s Six Nations, where she was a secondary choice to Harlequins scrum-half Lucy Packer.

She came on as a 78th minute replacement during England’s historic Grand Slam victory over France at Twickenham earlier this year. Her three-minute cameo in front of a record crowd of 58,498 felt somewhat unnecessary - some might even say cruel - for someone who is widely considered one of the most dedicated servants of the English women’s game.

The news, however, that Hunt has been belatedly handed a full-time contract suggests she remains a firm part of John Mitchell’s plans as the Red Roses coach prepares to name his first training squad ahead of the Six Nations early next year. With a change of coaching regime, there are surely brighter days ahead for the 67-time capped international.