Dan talks to Jess Hayden, former Times sports journalist and author of

Dan chats to Jess Hayden, author of The Red Roses: Behind the Scenes with the England Women's Rugby Team.

Jess, who was previously a sports journalist at The Times and The Sunday Times, is the editor of Contested, a new social app for sports fans.

In writing the book, she was able to get exclusive access to the England Women's team, known at the Red Roses, plus speak to former players and coaches.

In the podcast, she talks about:

The highs and huge lows of a World Cup campaign
Professionalism in women's rugby and the lessons to be learned from the difficulties in the men's game
Why the audience for women's rugby is growing, but also, what's holding it back
Should England have chosen a woman to be their new head coach
The rise of WXV
Why the Lions touring team isn't the right vehicle to grow women's rugby
The simple misunderstanding that made the England players so angry
Who was the only player to watch the lost final on the plane home from 2021 World Cup

The book is out at the start of March.

Contested: Because every athlete and team sport deserves recognition.

A unique space for fans to join the conversation, debate predictions, and celebrate sports together. It covers lots of sports in the detail you won't get in the mainstream media.

To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach Weekly

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