By BEN JAYCOCK
EXETER CHIEFS WINGER
Birthplace: Mansfield
Date of birth: 31/07/03
Community club: Mansfield RFC
Caps: 0
Why I play rugby: For the feeling you get when you’re on the pitch with your team-mates.
Following a breakthrough year with Exeter Chiefs, uncapped Katie Buchanan is delighted to have been called up to the Red Roses‘ Six Nations training squad.
The 20-year-old winger played her part by scoring eight tries in 15 appearances last season as Exeter lifted the Allianz Cup and reached the final of the Premier 15s.
Buchanan’s side beat Saracens 29-19 in the Allianz Cup final but came unstuck at Kingsholm in the Premier 15s finale losing to Gloucester-Hartpury.
The sports science student at Exeter University continued her fine form this season being a mainstay in Exeter’s side, scoring two tries in eight games.
Buchanan lives with fellow Exeter call ups Nancy McGillivray and Maisy Allen and initially thought they had been called up to the England squad without her.
“I wasn’t quite expecting it as I found out that my house mates Maisy and Nancy had been called up before me because I hadn’t been on my phone,” Buchanan told The Rugby Paper: “In the end it was a really happy day for us all.
“I was quite shocked when I got my contract but it’s really nice to do it with my friends like Maisy and being surrounded by people of a similar age. We got a call from Charlie Hayter about the contracts and said we’d be more involved with the Red Roses this year. I then had a chat with John Mitchell, the new head coach at Sandy Park last week and he was going through things in terms of how he wants me to be involved with the Six Nations squad.
“I just want to learn as much as I can. There’s lots of people who have so much knowledge of the game in my position and similar positions. So I need to enjoy the opportunity while I can.”
Buchanan missed out on selection for England U20s in the first year she was elligible but broke through to the age grade side last year.
An England transitional contract followed after Buchanan’s exploits with Exeter and she’s delighted her hard work at such a young age is being rewarded by being surrounded by a squad that are flying high, having secured both the Six Nations Grand Slam and WXV1 titles in the last 12 months.
She added: “Winning the Allianz Cup was amazing, it was a really good game to play in. We fought really hard and got the result. It wasn’t quite the same with the final as we fell short at the last hurdle but it was still an amazing experience to be a part of in front of a massive crowd at Kingsholm.
“For the U20s it was amazing to have an experience of what it’s like to represent your country and we played full games against France and Scotland which involved lots of learning, experiencing what it’s like to be in that environment.”
The speedster will be pushing the likes of Jess Breach, Abby Dow and Claudia MacDonald for a spot on England’s flanks in the Six Nations but is also set on helping Exeter climb back up the table after suffering recent defeats to Gloucester-Hartpury and Saracens.
“I want to maintain my position in the Chiefs squad, keep getting game time and winning matches,” said Buchanan. “We’ve had a couple of tough games this season and we’ll no doubt have more, so I want to keep pushing and get better results. With England I want to push the starting team and hopefully make my debut during the Six Nations.”
