Lichfield Ladies Director of Rugby Becky Williams said she was grateful that more people could appreciate Women’s Premiership Players’ Player of the Year Harriet Millar-Mills now that the women’s game is getting better coverage.
Williams praised Millar-Mills’ skills as she took to the stage at the Aviva Premiership Rugby Awards 2017 to accept the honour on behalf of the Lichfield and England No.8.
Millar-Mills has now won Players’ Player twice, after she formed part of the England side that claimed the Grand Slam in the Women’s Six Nations earlier this year and Williams is grateful for her contributions at Lichfield.
She has been amazing all season, and now @millarmills has been named @womenspremrugby Players’ Player of the Year! 💪 🏉#AvivaPremAwards pic.twitter.com/UtjBK1X3Jx
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) May 17, 2017
Williams said: “She’s had a phenomenal season, the coverage that women’s rugby has had on television has been outstanding, which has allowed people to see what she can deliver.
“Her ball-carrying has been superb and I think she’s a real credit to the women’s game in displaying what we can offer.
“As an individual, she’s very humble, she’s a real leader on the pitch and from a Litchfield perspective, what she’s offering to the game is upping the skill-set of our whole playing squad.”
Maggie Alphonsi, the former England international who helped her national team win seven consecutive Six Nations as well as the 2014 World Cup, joined Williams on stage.
Alphonsi was enthusiastic about the future of women’s rugby and took the opportunity to explain what makes it an engaging sport for spectators.
Women’s Prem Group/Prem clubs representing at the #AvivaPremAwards! Thanks for having us @premrugby #squad pic.twitter.com/qJGkbTVzCI
— Women’s Premiership (@womenspremrugby) May 18, 2017
“Now the majority of the England players are professional athletes, next year there’s a new Women’s Premiership set-up and we can’t forget it’s the Women’s World Cup this year, so it’s all exciting times for women’s rugby,” she said.
“What’s good about the women’s game is that a lot of women have stories, some of them were doctors, some of them were plumbers and some of them were balancing that with being a full-time rugby player.
“What’s interesting about the women’s game is that there is a narrative there which you want to know about and you want to follow these players on their journey.”
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