Mo Hunt eyes inaugural Women's Lions tour after returning from knee injury at 37

Natasha ‘Mo’ Hunt will make her long-awaited comeback from knee ligament damage when England face Australia in the opening fixture of the WXV Global Series, with the 37-year-old scrum-half setting her sights on a place in the inaugural British & Irish Lions Women’s squad for their 2027 tour to New Zealand.

Hunt has been sidelined since suffering the injury against Ireland in the opening match of England’s Grand Slam-winning Women’s Six Nations campaign earlier this year. Her return to the number nine jersey marks the latest chapter in a career that already includes 89 England caps, multiple Six Nations titles, two Olympic appearances with Team GB Sevens, and three consecutive Premiership Women’s Rugby titles with Gloucester Hartpury between 2022 and 2025.

Despite that remarkable record, Hunt says the prospect of joining the first-ever Lions Women’s squad represents a genuinely new frontier. “It would be unbelievable to be involved in [the Lions tour],” she said. “I think every player that is close to playing for their country in those four nations is thinking about it, and if they say they’re not, they’re lying.”

Hunt drew on her Olympic experience as a reason for optimism about how a multi-nation Lions environment could function. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have played in Team GB Sevens set-ups twice over. That was some of my favourite, most enjoyable rugby — just mixing cultures, everyone having a common goal and coming together really quickly to try to get something special done.”

The five-fixture tour opens on 4 September 2027 with a warm-up against a Black Ferns XV before Tests in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington, concluding with the final match against the Black Ferns on 25 September at the new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch. Head coach Jo Yapp, appointed in May, is expected to name her squad in May 2027 following the conclusion of that year’s Women’s Six Nations.

For now, Hunt’s focus is on rebuilding her form in an England shirt. After Saturday’s match against the Wallaroos, the Red Roses face Canada and New Zealand on successive weekends before travelling to North America in October. The WXV series offers Hunt the competitive minutes she needs — and the platform to remind Lions selectors exactly what she brings to a squad.