Zoe Harrison was player of the match in England’s 43-12 win against New Zealand last weekend and goes up against the Black Ferns again today at Franklin’s Gardens.
Age 23
Height 5ft 6in
Weight 11st 2lb
Position Fly half
Club Saracens
Country England
Caps 31
Alive and kicking
As a child, Harrison honed her ball skills across two sports. “I would play a rugby match on Saturday and then a football match on Sunday,” she said. “My brother kicked from when I was younger and I always used to kick to him,” she told RugbyPass this year. “[In football] I used to smash it as hard as I could on the field and that has helped. I still keep a football in my ball bag. I have always been able to kick it quite far. I just put a lot of power through the ball and I’m just lucky I can do that. It has led me to tear my quads a few times.”
Work ethic
Harrison has honed her craft as a stand-off by studying her male counterpart at Saracens, Owen Farrell. “I watch the fly halves in the men’s game,” she said. “I take snippets from their game, particularly Owen Farrell, Marcus Smith and Dan Biggar.”
It is a Manchester United footballer who inspires her the most. “When Cristiano Ronaldo first signed his contract when he was younger, he turned up to training an hour before everyone else and stayed there an hour after to do all his extras. If you want to be the best, you have to put in the extra work, and that is something I take into my own game.”
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Diet
In a normal week, breakfast is Weetabix, or avocado and egg on toast with bacon. If she is near her home in Tring, she regularly visits the Black Goo cafe for a brunch of avocado on toast with chorizo, eggs and halloumi. Lunch is usually a salad, and dinner is “whatever mum is cooking, usually meat, veg and a carb”.
Training days
On the Tuesday of an England week, the squad do a jog-through of the game plan and then take part in a “brutal” gym session. Wednesday is a “speed day” of high-intensity sprinting, often in game situations but without contact. Tackling returns on Thursday, when the squad play an internal match to solidify the game plan and make any adjustments. The Red Roses have a rest day on Friday.
A family affair
Her love for rugby started with dad, John, who represented Wales at schoolboy level, and her brother Alex who has played for Wasps reserves. “I was always at the club watching my brother train and play,” she said. “I started at the age of five, because I was spending so much time at the club anyway, I thought I might as well join.”
The decision of which sport — rugby or football — to pick was taken out of her hands. “My mum sent me to Hartpury College when I was 16, so I had to give up football. So Mum made that decision for me.”
