Lucy Simpson is a player generating considerable excitement in women’s rugby. The 19-year-old Gloucester Hartpury hooker was recently called up for England U20s and, alongside her talent, is gaining recognition for her work ethic and commitment. A physiotherapy student who enjoys reading in her spare time (getting through 211 books in 2024), her approach to rugby matches her approach to life: “How can I learn the most I can as fast as I can?”
To help her, she takes part in Vodafone’s EmpowHER programme, a mentoring programme where she is trained, coached and advised by Kelsey Jones, the 42-cap Wales hooker and Simpson’s teammate at Gloucester Hartpury, which is in the running for a third consecutive Premiership Women’s Rugby title. As the pair practise their lineout throws on the Hartpury training pitch, they reflect on their partnership and the journey ahead for Simpson.
“I was delighted to get Luce,” says Jones, when asked about the mentorship. “For someone so young, the drive and commitment she has is amazing. Before Lucy took part in the EmpowHER programme, I said to Lynnie: [Sean Lynn, the Gloucester Hartpury head coach who is moving on to coach Wales women in the Six Nations] ‘That girl will play for England in the future.’ When that future is, I don’t know, but it will happen.”
Through the EmpowHER programme, Jones acts as a mentor to Simpson
What’s clear is that a genuine friendship has evolved from the programme, and the pair now enjoy coffee catchups regularly. Jones laughs when asked what it’s like helping develop a player who will probably be her opposite number when Wales and England meet in the years ahead. “I will be your cheerleader the whole way, even if you’re wearing a red rose,” she says, with a grin.
Simpson fills her spare time with her passions of art, reading and physiotherapy, but her ambition is to be a full-time professional rugby player, something Jones couldn’t aspire to when she was growing up, due to the lack of professional contracts. “Given the growth of the game, rugby is now a career,” says Simpson. “I can have it as a job, and that’s something I aspire to have. The Vodafone EmpowHER programme has helped me realise the pathway to get there, especially with Kelsey’s own experiences and I can see that it’s a real possibility now. I can see the sacrifices it takes and what you have to do to make it in the top flight of rugby.”
‘For someone so young, the drive and commitment [Simpson] has is amazing,’ says Jones
While Jones is the one guiding Simpson, the Welsh hooker thinks the programme is also helping her. “What I’ve learned the most from you is the need to have that downtime,” she tells Simpson. “I get so caught up with rugby that I forget to have ‘me time’, so being able to speak to you has made me realise I probably don’t manage my time as well as I could.” The players are also supported by LooseHeadz, a mental health charity, to help them manage their work-life balance.
Part of the Vodafone EmpowHER programme offers Simpson support with her social media, to help grow her personal brand alongside rugby, with the aim of giving her another revenue stream in the years to come. “I’d hope people watch me as an aspiring rugby player and I’d like to be known as a hard worker who just gets on with it,” she says.
The social media support is just one part of the holistic vision of the programme. Mentees get access to Vodafone’s PLAYER.Connect platform, which tracks how they are feeling and training, and better communicates it to coaches – including information about their menstrual cycle, taking out the awkwardness of those conversations. “Having that app with male coaches … they don’t have to ask questions any more, it’s all there on the app. It allows fewer conversations and far more understanding,” says Jones.
Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt, Rugby World Cup winner, brings years of experience – and an extensive phone book – to the programme
Natasha “Mo” Hunt, the talismanic England and Gloucester Hartpury scrum-half, and 2014 Rugby World Cup winner, is another Vodafone EmpowHER programme mentor. She is a host of The Good, The Scaz and The Rugby podcast, which partners with Vodafone on the programme. “Everything is about trying to bridge the gap between the elite level and the university game, which is the main feeder,” says Hunt. “Last year we expanded EmpowHER to all seven of the Women’s BUCS Super Rugby teams, the top tier of university rugby, and to be able to offer it to all those universities is just amazing.”
One of Hunt’s jobs is to match the mentees with the ideal mentor, scouring her extensive women’s rugby phone book to find the best combinations. “I look at the mentee’s position and what they need, and look at the journey they have been on and try to make sure their mentor is somebody they can really get value from,” she says. “We have incredible people who are at the top of their game and have been for years, so their knowledge and experience is invaluable. To be able to give students access to that support and help is incredible.”
Simpson’s first role model was Hunt, after the scrum-half came to her rugby club to hand out awards. “Seeing Mo in her England kit made me like: ‘Oh my goodness, I could have that,’” she says. “Wearing the red rose is something I really want to do, and having longevity within my career. And obviously there’s the Lions tour coming up, so maybe have a crack at that. My ambition is to try to play the highest level of rugby I can.”
Before the inaugural women’s British & Irish Lions tour in 2027 and the Rugby World Cup later this year, first up is the 2025 Women’s Six Nations, which Simpson is really excited to watch. “It’s going to be really competitive,” she says. “It’s going to give us an insight into what the World Cup could be like and how much the game has grown.”
Simpson aims to run out for England U20s, before, hopefully, making the step up to the senior Red Roses next year. It’s an achievable task for the hooker, who is enjoying a successful season with Gloucester Hartpury. “She will get there,” Jones says, smiling as she listens to her mentee’s ambitions. “I have no doubt.”
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