The former England head coach Simon Middleton has a favourite anecdote from the first time he spotted the promise and potential of Morwenna Talling. It was late in 2019, and Middleton was a keen observer as Loughborough Lightning hosted champions Saracens. Red Roses icons Katy Daley-McLean, Emily Scarratt and Marlie Packer were all on show but it was an unknown lock that caught Middleton’s eye – with a helping hand from a beaming father.
“I think it was my first game for Loughborough,” the now 22-year-old Talling recalls as she picks up a story she’s been told by both protagonists plenty of times. “I’d played two games for Lightning’s development team, and then got asked to start against Sarries. It was a big game to start.
“My dad was watching stood with my mum, and Midds was behind them talking to Richard Blaze, who was the England forwards coach at the time.
“I did something and Midds asked, ‘Who is that?’ My dad, apparently, turned around and said, ‘That’s my daughter’. Dad was so oblivious to who Midds was – my mum had to tell him. He had no idea it was the England head coach; he was just proud. It’s quite cute, really.”
The father’s pride stuck with Middleton and 12 months later, the tale got a first telling in public as the then England coach awarded a still-teenage Talling her first cap in the delayed Women’s Six Nations encounter with Italy. A budding Red Rose had arrived.
A product of North Yorkshire, Talling followed her older brother to Malton and Norton RFC after brief dalliances with swimming and football. Where her other sporting pursuits failed to capture her full attention, a young Talling was taken by rugby almost immediately. “I thought I’d give it a go, but I didn’t get bored, so I just stuck with it.”
The qualities that first attracted Middleton to Talling are the same characteristics that make the versatile back five forward an increasingly important figure to the Red Roses now. Described by defence coach Sarah Hunter as a “workhorse”, Talling is a true grafter; an individual who relishes doing the unseen work that keeps England’s winning machine rolling.
In Hunter and forwards coach Louis Deacon, she can count on the guidance of kindred spirits. “I feel like that has always been my point of difference,” Talling explains. “Going from swimming to football to rugby, working hard from a young age has always been my thing.
“I will keep going. I won’t give up. I love it. That’s what gets me going – next job, next job, doing it for the team. That’s what is always in the back of my mind. Sunts [Sarah Hunter] as a player was known for her workrate around the field, so having the input from her has been amazing.”
A proud northerner, Talling swapped Loughborough for Sale at the start of last season, and has now transferred her geography degree to Manchester Metropolitan University to enable her to continue her studies alongside her professional career.
Comfortable at lock or across the back row, Talling is the lone Red Rose in the Sharks squad. The struggle in attracting contracted England players north led to a points deduction last season with Sale falling foul of Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) rules having been forced to rely on overseas imports to bolster the strength of their squad.
Talling hopes the situation changes. “I moved back up and just wanted to bring awareness that rugby is in the north. We do have a platform up there, and there is support up there. I want to try and get a few more players playing there.
“At the moment, it is very homegrown, and we relish that because we want to showcase what the north is about. Northern rugby matters – that’s such a great thing that Michelle [Orange, Sale’s co-owner] and everyone is pushing up there. It’s a cool place to be, there are great facilities – Michelle has done a lot for the women’s team, and everyone has bought into it.”
The move has helped Talling kick on again after a couple of difficult years with injury. “One of the things that I was looking at was trying to develop leadership skills. After a few injuries [to other players], I was given that opportunity to captain.
“That’s developed my game off the pitch in being able to have conversations with people, as well as making decisions on the pitch. I had a few meetings with [former Wales captain] Rachel Taylor, our coach, about leadership, and I am very much a lead-by-example sort of captain. I put my head down, do the work, and people can follow that. I’m trying to develop the speaking side of it.”
Talling is one of a new breed of women’s rugby player for which the professional pathway has always been there. While not neglecting her studies, the entirety of her professional life has come within international rugby. She is quick to highlight the hard work of older teammates like Scarratt and Natasha “Mo” Hunt in breaking down barriers to drag the sport to where it is now.
Talling is thriving with the support provided by a world-leading programme and head coach John Mitchell. After missing the start of the Six Nations with injury, she returned to play a pivotal role in England’s grand slam-securing win in Bordeaux. On Sunday, she starts in her preferred position on the blindside in the Red Roses’ WXV opener against the United States in Vancouver.
Competition is high but Talling, in her own understated and quiet way, is ambitious with a home World Cup on the horizon. “I always want to start,” she says. “That’s always the aspiration. Going into every session, doing the best, making sure I am getting my roles right. I think Mitch [Mitchell] is someone that, if you play well, you earn the shirt. But you’ve got to keep that shirt and earn that every week.
“I’m not necessarily someone who likes the limelight. But it’s not very often you get a home World Cup. It’s really exciting because we have the opportunity to showcase what we are about and inspire the next generation. If I can inspire two or three girls to pick up a rugby ball or go to their local club, that’s what I’m here for.”
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