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1st May 2019
02:30pm BST

"When I was growing up," said Burford, "I was the only girl.
"The only reason we ended up having such a successful girls' team is that my mum played, and my sister played, so my dad kind of engineered that to happen. But you go along to a rugby club now and (and underage levels) there are four or five girls in each side. "And now there are Under 11s girls only now, as some of them don't want to carry on playing with the boys when they are 12. "When we were growing up, to me, it was all boys. The only other girls playing were my sisters, and my mum played. Us three. "Now it is not like that, at rugby clubs. But the system is still the same, where you get to the age of 12 and stop playing with the boys. But you can also go earlier now, if you want to. "But there used to be a big problem - and it is still a problem now - is that you'll get some clubs that don't have a girls team. Then they get to 12 and they have to leave the club. Some people don't want to do that - 12 years old, don't know anybody, don't want to change clubs - and that's where we lose them."It seems such a shame, and a waste of talent and potential, to foster a love of the game only to lose the player due to a lack of structures or opportunities to stay on. It is something the RFU, and Burford in her own small way (she fronts a successful rugby academy, Burford 12), are trying to address. There are clear signs of progress being made across the country but mountains of work, good will and determination are still required. Every young girl encouraged to stay in the game could push on to be the next Katy Daley-McLean, Emily Scarratt, Jess Breach or Rachel Burford.
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