Boston RFC Ladies captain Charlotte Daubney relished the opportunity to lead out her team at the home of English rugby as part of the RFU’s Twickenham Takeover.

Her club was one of eight sides selected to play at Twickenham for the Play Together Stay Together campaign. They were chosen by an independent panel for their hard work in establishing player pathways, supporting young stars on their journey through to adult rugby. 

Daubney, 26, was overcome with emotion when recalling how it felt to walk out of the Twickenham tunnel just a day after the Red Roses beat Ireland on the same turf. 

“It’s hard to describe the feeling,” she said. “As somebody that’s come to quite a few games at Twickenham, to walk out on the same pitch that so many legends have played on is just indescribable. 

“I’m getting a bit emotional talking about it. It’s a once in a lifetime thing, I probably won’t get to do it again. 

“And to do it with your mates is even better. It was all about taking in the moment and getting everybody to take a second to take it all in.”

Boston are in the midst of a memorable spell, having been promoted twice in their last two seasons. 

Reaching such heights is a special achievement, matched only by a chance to showcase their talents at the home of English rugby. 

“After the couple of seasons that we’ve had, doing something like this is just a massive reward for the hard work and graft that the girls have put in,” said Daubney. 

“Getting to sit in that changing room, looking around at everyone and thinking about what we’ve done to get to this point was pretty special.”

Boston earnt their spot at the Twickenham Takeover for setting up a player pathway that starts with their Youth Development programme. 

As part of this, they teach key rugby skills and values to help players eventually reach their ladies’ team, which offers specialised training on a weekly basis. 

“The junior group and our colts combine early with the women’s team, which seems to have borne fruit,” said Boston assistant coach Shaun Turl.

“Of the 31 players from our club that are here at Twickenham, nine have come through the age grade set-up in the past two years.

“It’s massive for the club. It’s now all about concentrating on setting up two ladies’ teams and a fully engaged youth section.”

Play Together Stay Together is an England Rugby campaign to encourage people to get back into rugby. Want to get back to the action? Find your local rugby club using findrugby.com