Bryony Field crashed her car after England call-up — now she has two caps and two tries

Bryony Field’s first England call-up came with an unexpected postscript. Driving home from camp after learning she had been selected for the first time, the Saracens hooker was so distracted by the news that she rear-ended another car on the M25. Nobody was hurt, though her own vehicle is booked in for repairs. “I actually crashed my car on the way home,” Field said. “Obviously I was buzzing, and my mind was a little bit aloof. I got home from camp that day and I thought, ‘what on earth has just happened?’”

She kept the reason for her distraction to herself at the scene. “He was a lawyer, so I was like, ‘I’ve got no chance here,’” she added.

The 25-year-old has since made a composed start to her international career, scoring two tries in two appearances — both from rolling mauls — in England’s win over Australia and draw with Canada. Head coach John Mitchell has been watching her for some time and made his expectations clear from the outset. “I’ve been watching Bryony for a while and all I’ve asked her is ‘at some point when are you going to decide to become the best hooker in the country?’” Mitchell said after her debut. “She seemed to excel with starting rugby. She blossomed.”

Field’s path to the Red Roses was a patient one. Born in Yorkshire, she came through Huddersfield RUFC and West Park Leeds — a club that has also produced Zoe Stratford, Ellie Kildunne, Morwenna Talling and Tatyana Heard — before representing England at U18 and U20 level with Loughborough Lightning. After graduating with a master’s degree in civil engineering, she moved south to Saracens and spent a period balancing a day job in banking with the demands of professional training.

“There was definitely a period of time where I felt like I’d hit a bit of a standstill, which was tough to navigate,” she admitted.

A knee injury to Saracens team-mate May Campbell gave Field the opportunity to start more regularly last season. She took it: Saracens won the Premiership Women’s Rugby title, and by August Field had been called into the wider England training squad. Making her debut in Manchester — close enough to her Yorkshire roots to carry real meaning — was a milestone she had worked several years to reach.