I’m a trained carpenter and currently refurbing my house while also trying to help England win the Women’s Six Nations
EMILY ROBINSON may be the trained carpenter in the England scrum.
But there is nothing chippie about the Harlequins flanker’s determination to help make Twickenham a home from home for the Red Roses.
Robinson made her England debut in the crushing win over Italy that continued the side’s 100 per cent start to the TikTok Six Nations campaign.
Simon Middleton’s squad are not getting ahead of themselves but know that the April 29 showdown with France at Twickenham is likely to be the tournament decider after their narrow World Cup semi-final win.
And Robinson, who is working alongside brother Will on a major refurb of the house they bought together in Surrey, is desperate to prove she can be part of an England squad that will really feel like it owns the place by the looming 2025 World Cup.
RFU bosses have given a new painting of the Roses pride of place in the Twickenham President’s dining room, a sign of the way women’s rugby is growing.
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Robinson said: “We want to entertain people and put bums on seats.
“That comes with building a fanbase and people wanting to come and watch you play.
“It was amazing to run onto the pitch for the first time in an England shirt at Northampton last week.
“The atmosphere was fantastic and travelling around the country has been a good thing generating fans and to get different types of people to games.
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“But if we’re thinking about the World Cup you really want that one big stadium and we really need Twickenham to feel like a home ground.
“That comes with things like putting names up, painting murals, where the RFU can make it really feel like home if we consistently play there.
“So I think if they are doing stuff like that at the stadium, it’s brilliant because I think it’s needed for that for that in terms of the players but also for the fans.
“I’ve had a lot of people say to me that they think women’s rugby is a lot more fluid than the men’s game.
“They love the skills and the speed of the game and it’s gaining a real interest, which has come from how hard the girls have worked to get the game where it is.”
Robinson’s twin careers have been in tandem since she first got her hands on the tools of her trade - learning the carpentry ropes for her old club boss at Pulborough in Sussex.
For now, though, the plane and lathe have been swapped for boots and weights - paying off with that England debut.
It meant Robinson, for now, has something her younger sister, Exeter scrum-half Flo, is still waiting for, although she hopes it is a matter of time before they can play for England together.
She added: “Flo was there to see my debut, along with my mum and dad, my brother, our partners and one of my best mates as well. That was fantastic for me.
“Flo has had a really tough time recently with injuries and been really unlucky.
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“She was about to come on for her debut in the game against France last year when the lights went out and the match was abandoned.
“But the idea of playing together is the sort of thing you strive for.”