Can England Save the Series? With Red Rose & new mum Lark Atkin-Davies

We need to talk about Canada… The Red Roses have lost, the record is gone, and there's a series to save. Can England bounce back? We're asking the big questions this week, and we've got the perfect guest to help: Red Rose World Cup-winning hooker and brand-new mum, Lark Atkin-Davies! Our very own Reverend, Nick Heath, is also in with his analysis of the Canada clash. As always, he's brought the facts and stats to preview this weekend's third and final test.

Last weekend, Lark made it back on the pitch for Bristol Bears just 16 weeks after having baby Olive, and she scored their two opening tries, to boot! She shared some really honest truths about the trials and tribulations of a professional athlete's journey through pregnancy, childbirth and becoming a mother. We talk about how her body changed during pregnancy (that bump really got in the way of her knee drive!), how she managed gestational diabetes, and her decision to have a vaginal birth.

Like Abbie Ward, who has been a real inspiration to her, Lark is hell-bent on making pregnancy & early motherhood taboos a thing of the past, in society and especially in women's sport. Breast pumping in the Bears cafeteria is just one of the ways she's pushing herself out of her comfort zone, for the good of her baby and the good of the cause. 

Spoiler: she wants to be the best mum AND the best rugby player, and she's got big plans for Lark 2.0.

There are now FOUR mums in the Red Roses set-up, so we also get into how much Mitch and the England environment have backed Lark, Abbie, Zoe, Rosie and Marlie, giving them the confidence to make the choices that are right for their families.

Elsewhere this week:

🌹 Losing the record: Nick has the stats on that defeat and tells us why letting go of the record might actually be freeing for this squad. It's only the size of the streak that makes this loss feel so big! Thanks to Opta for supporting the Rev's stat work.

🏉 WXV match-ups: who's playing who this weekend. Look out for a rundown of all the match-ups, and where to watch them, on our socials again on Friday.

🦁 Lions vs France: who has the edge at the Principality, and Lark's promise to be there whether she's in the squad or not.

🏆 PWR final: our summary, plus Lark's campaign to take the final to Allianz Stadium, which we're 100% here for.

Grab a cuppa and press play. And if you're a mum juggling work, sport or both, we'd love to hear from you in the comments, or email us at info@goodscazrugby.com 💬

Don't sleep on Magic Meg's merch: https://magicmegltd.myshopify.com

Please join us in manifesting a Red Roses win for our girls 🌹

Happy listening & watching, GSR fam!

Shira x

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