INTERVIEW: England U20s Star Millie David

The journey of a rugby player often begins with a spark of inspiration, a nudge from family, and a passion that ignites early on. For Millie David, England Rugby under 20s and Bristol Bears star, it was the combined influence of her family’s love for the sport and the thrill of diving into the game that set her course.

Now, with an unwavering determination to represent her country at the highest level, Millie’s journey is one of resilience, balance, and boundless ambition.

Millie spoke to FYB ahead of England u20 taking on France and Wales…

FYB – How did you get started playing rugby, and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?

Millie – I started when I was 11, and I did tag rugby in primary school, and then my dad convinced me to join like a proper club when I went to secondary school. A couple of my brothers played as well, I wanted to be like them. They’re a lot older than me. I joined Reading Rugby Club in under 13, I was about 11. I just really enjoyed it.

I was quite small at the time, well I still am, but a lot smaller then, and I think I just liked how it didn’t really matter, you can still be small and just like throw yourself at it. And the fact that my brothers were really into it, and my dad was into it. I thought they were cool, so I wanted them to impress them.

FYB – How do you balance your rugby commitments with other aspects of your life, such as education.

Millie – It’s quite hard. I think what helped quite a lot is, I went to like a rugby college last year with the Wasps ACE programme at City of Oxford College. I started doing rugby and school, both of them full-time a lot sooner.

I think if I’d gone to university and been training full-time, having not done it at college, I would have really struggled. It’s still really hard, but I had two years of practising it before I had to do it on the big stage. It definitely helped a lot.

FYB – What do you hope your future in rugby looks like, and what steps are you taking to achieve your aspirations?

Millie – I want to play for England, the senior Red Roses at some point. My hope and my aim’s always been the 2029 World Cup in Australia.

I think that would be really cool. I’ve got a lot of family from Australia as well, who I haven’t seen in years. To be able to get there and then play and see all of them represent my country would be pretty amazing.

But playing for England is the aim.

FYB – With a good 99-5 win against the Army and two big fixtures against France & Wales coming up, how has England camp been so far?

Millie – It’s been really good. I think that Army game was really good just to get some confidence. France are a really physical team, and it’s going to be a big challenge.

It’s good to get that Army game under our belt. Now we know we’ve actually played together, because we don’t really see each other outside of camp. So, it was nice to just actually get a game.

The environment so far has been good. I think we’re all really excited. Yeah, and we just want to just really go for it. I just want to enjoy it. This is my first year of England u20s.

I still have another year to go. I want to build as much confidence as I can, and just try things and not hold back. There’s still time to make mistakes and stuff.

Obviously, a win would be great. I just want to try and get some confidence in myself.

FYB – What areas of your game do you feel are your strongest, and where do you see room for improvement?

Millie – I think most people probably say my speed, that’s probably my super strength.

Something that I’ve been working on recently is just confidence in contact, strength in contact. It’s not necessarily been a weakness, but jumping up from college rugby to senior rugby at Bristol Bears, where everyone’s a lot bigger, a lot older, and I’m new to it, it’s a lot harder.

FYB – What advice would you give to young aspiring girls looking to follow in your footsteps?

Millie – Just don’t hold back. There’s going to be things that are scary or you don’t think you’re going to do, but everyone feels that. Just go for it. It doesn’t matter if you make mistakes, especially at the start. Even now, it doesn’t matter.

They’d rather you try something and get it wrong than not be the one that doesn’t ever try.

From Reading Rugby Club to England under 20s camps, Millie’s journey illustrates the perseverance needed to chase dreams. As she aims for the Red Roses jersey and aims to inspire young girls, her advice is straightforward: “Don’t hold back.” With each step, she sets an example for future athletes, showing that determination is key to success.

Millie and her England u20’s team mates will be taking on France on Saturday 20th April 2024 as well as playing Wales on Saturday 4th May 2024.

Photo credit – RFU Collection via JMP