Meet Carys, a BCS Senior School pupil and player at Bournemouth Rugby Club. She has been playing rugby since Year 4 at BCS Prep School and has shared with us her successes so far!

Q: Tell me Carys, where did your love of sport, especially rugby, come from? And how did you get introduced to rugby?

A: I’m generally a very sporty person and my Prep school sport teacher, Mr Wilford, got me into the rugby side of sport. I also did an after‑school club and he said I should try out for Bournemouth Rugby, so I did, which is my club right now.

Q: When did you try out for Bournemouth?

A: I was in Year 4 or 5.

Q: How often do you play for Bournemouth?

A: Now that I am in a county squad it tends to vary, but usually, twice a week.

Q: What do you love about rugby as a sport?

A: It just feels natural. I love the aspect that with your club everyone feels like a family because you all do the same thing and that is comforting.

Q: How do you feel BCS has supported your love of rugby?

A: I think BCS have definitely supported me really well, they’ve been doing girls after school clubs for rugby for a while, and I think inspiring girls to get involved with the sport is an amazing idea.

Q: Would you say you would like to continue to play rugby as you get older?

A: I want play professionally yes, but I would also like to have a job as well, so I can still do what I love but also get the money that I need to keep myself going.

Q: Who is your role model and why?

A: Sarah Hunter is my role model; she’s come so far in her rugby career. She plays for England and is the England Captain. I think at some point in my life I want to be where she is, I look up to her because of what she has achieved.

Q: Did Mr Wilford give you that inspiration to be like Sarah?

A: Yes, and Mr Tomlinson here at the Senior school there is a lot of support for the sport at school and its popularity is growing. 

Q: You've recently been accepted onto the England Rugby Development Player Programme (ERDP) - congratulations - how did this come about?

A: Through my current club, the Oakmedians. I was asked to try out and found out four days later that I had got in! I was over the moon - I was with my family and I started crying with happiness. 

Q: Tell us what this new opportunity means for you? 

A: It's the first step to playing for the England Red Roses and go professional! They will support, train and develop me into becoming an elite player. I'm so excited to see where this will take me!