Northern Irish CrossFit athlete Emma McQuaid put three Harlequin women’s players through their paces at her fantastic home gym.
CrossFit athletes are known as the ‘fittest on earth’, and with Rugby infamous for its brutal physicality, the day seemed like a match made in heaven.
McQuaid was the fittest woman in Ireland in 2024, and players Shaunagh Brown, Sheree Cooper, and Lagi Tuima went to her gym for a workout to test what they’re made of. The day was a collaboration between the club and Reign and was posted on the Harlequins YouTube channel.
Cooper said: “It was an unreal experience, and I think going to her gym and seeing where she lived and what she’s built for herself. Everyone would have loved to have that set up in their back garden. To see what she does for a day was phenomenal. It was exciting to bounce around like different athletes and see what everyone does for their day-to-day.”
Tuima explained that the players were caught slightly off-guard by the intensity of the training.
“The workout she put us through was a gruelling 30-35-minute warm-up,” she said. “But we honestly thought that was the whole thing. So when we found out it was just the warm-up, we were like, oh, what’s next?
“It is amazing to see what intensity she puts into her daily routine. What we did was just a small part, and she would probably do two or three more things that day. So it’s incredible what she can put her body through in a day.”
“It was a good experience. We’ve trained at that intensity before, but this was different. The different kinds of facilities and equipment we used on that day brought out a different side of us, but it kept it competitive, which was also nice between the three of us. So yeah, I really enjoyed it.”
With the inaugural Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby season underway, Harlequins Women, the 2020/21 Premier 15s champions, haven’t had the ideal start they’d have hoped for. Currently sitting at 7th in the league, they only managed one win in their opening eight games.
However, their run of form has improved since the winter break, and with another break for the Women’s Six Nations, the players are optimistic about the run-in towards the end of the season.
Harlequins have had some tight results recently, including a 19-all draw against last year’s finalists, Exeter Chiefs, at Sandy Park. However, a significant highlight was their recent 53-12 win over Sale Sharks at the Stoop.
Tuima has been a core part of this resurgence. The Exeter University graduate is a versatile back and has also taken on the kicking duties this year.
“Yeah, I’m loving it,” she added. “It’s no secret that at the start of the season, it was a bit challenging, but we’re starting to find our feet post-Christmas, and it’s been good to see. I am very proud to be a part of this club. And I think some of the recent performances show that.
Talking about her own performances this season, she said: “There’s always room for improvement. There are a few areas of my game that I want to keep building on. I’ve got good leaders around me, such as Emily Scott and Rachael Burford, especially in that backline, who have enabled me to keep building my game. But yeah, as I say, I’m not content yet, and I think there’s more to come.”
With the growth of the women’s game happening at an exponential rate, this season, the women’s league has rebranded to the Allianz Premiership Women’s Rugby with a focus on being personality-driven by the players as the excitement builds towards a home World Cup in 2025.
Over half of the players featured in the first round of this year’s Women’s Six Nations came from clubs in the PWR, as the league continues to prove why it is the most competitive in the world. Along with the rebrand has come a groundbreaking broadcast deal with TNT Sports, with PWR games regularly being shown with the same coverage standards as the Gallegher Premiership.
Harlequins prop Cooper told us the TNT deal was a step in the right direction.
“It’s amazing that we’re now on TNT because it’s such a big broadcaster,” she added. “It’s just that next level up to what we need for that exposure to get new viewers into the game and get those people to support us in the long haul.
“This year, with a few different teams in the league, that’s shaking up the table, so it’s not your usual top four, which is exciting to see. But also, we’re building into a World Cup year. So it’s really exciting to be in our country next year and see that build-up.
“The wider picture is that women’s rugby is growing massively, and I think that as we get to the end of this tail end of the season, it will get even bigger.”
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