How England rugby team benefits from tennis star Emma Raducanu presence

Dubai: What was Emma Raducanu doing at the England’s rugby training camp. The 22-year-old looked to be having a great time with the players and coach Steve Borthwick explained the reason for her presence.

“Emma was talking to the players and sharing her experiences about preparing for the elite level of competition, which is terrific. People like her are always very welcome because we enjoy learning from others’ experience,” Borthwick said.

Raducanu chatted with skipper Maro Itoje and Marcus Smith before doing a line out drill with prop Fin Baxter.

Prop Fin Baxter, nine months older than Raducanu, said it had been an unexpected but fun experience. “She watched training today and then we did a few bits after,” he said. “I think she did a bit of kicking with Marcus (Smith). Maro (Itoje) was chatting to her and we were all drifting off, letting two big dogs of their sports talk,” Baxter told Reuters.

“Then it was, ‘Fin, Will (Stuart), come on, Emma wants to do a lineout with you’. So we did the lineout. She was very good, and caught the ball. And then afterwards I was like, ‘Hi Emma, I’m Fin by the way’. It was a weird way to meet her for the first time. But it was cool to have her in.

“The amount of pressure she is under because of how successful she is definitely something we can all learn something from.”

Also in camp was Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Huerzeler. The German became the Premier League’s youngest coach when he took over at 31 last year and is burnishing his reputation with every passing week.

“We had Fabian in yesterday and today, it’s been really interesting having him at training,” Borthwick said.