Izzy Boothroyd crossing the whitewash
Next in our series of player interviews we hear how Izzy Boothroyd is looking to put her best foot forward and how Jamie Benson has found the right balance in search of Varsity Match glory.
Izzy Boothroyd is looking to become Cambridge University’s not-so-secret weapon after giving football the boot to get to grips with rugby union.
The 22-year-old veterinary medicine student has already appeared in three Varsity Matches against Oxford, but they were all in the round-ball game and after securing a victory at the third-time of asking, a new discipline called.
Boothroyd had first started playing football at the age of six and had represented hometown club Huddersfield Town in the FA Women’s National League before coming to study at Jesus College.
After a year without Varsity because of Covid, the subsequent years saw two defeats, the second of those on penalties, and then a 4-0 win last year.
“I left football on such a high, that also swayed my decision as well,” says Boothroyd of the decision to switch sports.
“It was a whole new group of people, a whole new sport and just having something to aim for and strive for because it’s completely new for me.
“It’s nice to have that goal and the progression that you see when you start a new sport is just so much quicker.
“I had been playing football for so long that I felt like I had hit a plateau at that point and starting a new sport that is not dissimilar - obviously you are using your hands instead of your feet in rugby! - there are definitely things I can bring to rugby.
“But it is a bit different physicality wise, I take home a few more bruises than I did when I was playing football!”
An attacking midfielder in football, you could say that in many ways Boothroyd has switched like for like by lining up in the No 13 shirt at outside centre in rugby union.
The most obvious question is how many transferable skills there are between the sports, and it is perhaps no surprise to get the more obvious answer.
“Personally, for me, it would be my kicking just because I think the kicking stride it’s just quite natural as I’ve been doing it since I was quite young,” says Boothroyd.
“Being able to implement that in our game I think would be really advantageous for us because there is not much kicking in women’s rugby games, especially at this level.
“I think if I can bring that to this team and fill that hole for them I think that would be really good.”
However, it feels that the fifth-year student is being somewhat modest.
Boothroyd has been a mainstay in the centres since Christmas and so it must be more than just a boot that has seen such a swift adjustment.
With that suggestion, there is the opportunity to elaborate a bit more.
“Coming from team sports, because it is quite similar in terms of the amount of people, it’s that kind of space finding, that instinct to be able to spot the space, spot where players on the opposition team are, to then try to exploit that in game play,” says Boothroyd.
“Reading the opposition’s moves and then adapting my game to suit us to try to spot the gaps in play, I think is quite a transferable skill.”
Boothroyd has been surprised by the speed of the adjustment to a new sport, and puts the credit down to the coaching staff and team-mates in explaining the rules of rugby union.
However, with so much to take on board, that has brought its own challenges.
“Really difficult!” is Boothroyd’s immediate response about how difficult it has been to learn the rules.
“ We were going through a video session recently and just thought I need to go and write this down, I should have recorded it because my brain space at the minute is full, capacity is reached!
“There are quite a lot of rules. In a game, I will still ask Millie[captain Emilia Bushrod], ‘Is this what you want me to do? Is this what I can do?’.
“I will be asking questions even before games, even before the 88’s Invitational XV game I was asking questions about stuff I didn’t have clarity on.”
But you can guarantee that Boothroyd will be fully up to speed by the time Cambridge take on Oxford at the StoneX Stadium on Saturday, March 2.
“I think it will be so exciting,” says Boothroyd.
“The Varsity Match is just such a massive event that I think it’s going to bring a lot of pressure and I think it’s going to be quite a nerve-racking time but I think with the team we’ve got we will rise to the occasion.
“It’s going to be a day of emotions.”
Life has been a balancing act for Jamie Benson during the past three years at Cambridge University.
The fly-half was already on the books of Premiership giants Harlequins when he made the decision to attend Cambridge to study natural sciences.
“Once I had my offer here, I was probably always going to come,” says Benson.
“I want to play rugby but I suppose the more difficult thing to navigate was not whether I wanted to do it but whether it would be possible to do. Quinns were pretty keen to find a solution, so it has worked out well.”
It has been a case of keeping all the plates spinning for Benson.
In the first two years at Cambridge, not only was the Downing College student having to stay on top of his studies, but also training with Quins and playing in the Premiership Cup, representing England in the Under-20s Six Nations and also appearing for CURUFC.
“I’m enjoying it, but it’s pretty full-on, especially trying to balance the life with rugby,” explains the 21-year-old.
“My first two years I spent a lot of time away with England under-20s and back home with Quins.
This year has been quite nice playing up the road with Cambridge, a lot more local and still pretty busy but a bit less travel time which has been good; the travel time was the biggest thing.
“There have definitely been times when my body and brain have been pretty tired, but it has definitely been enjoyable.”
Benson highlighted the way in which Quins have made studying and still playing possible, while also noting that there is perhaps not the understanding from the two sides - the academic and rugby worlds - about what the other entails.
And linking up with Cambridge to play in the Championship has been a valuable learning curve.
“It’s been a new challenge for me which is very nice,” says Benson. “Playing regularly in the Championship is obviously a level up from what I’ve done in the past, so I’m definitely enjoying it.”
With the switch of the Varsity Match to the spring, it allowed for an easier transition out of the England set-up at the conclusion of the Six Nations into the Light Blues’ camp during the first two years.
And the atmosphere at Grange Road has always been welcoming, and made the adjustment relatively seamless.
“Obviously, all my good mates are playing here so it’s not hard to slot back in,” says Benson.
“The studying is pretty relentless but it’s what you sign up for so no surprise.
“The club changes a lot year on year, with the environment. Granted this year I am maybe slightly more out of touch with the boys; there are a lot of new faces that I probably haven’t played with too much.
“At this time of year there is a strong feeling of cohesion and coming together with the Varsity Matches coming up.”
He added: “The boys are all pulling together so it’s definitely a great feeling around the club hoping that we can get over the line at the start of March.”
