Ashleigh making her mark on the Rugby field

Former Spudette Ashleigh Richardson is enjoying her first season of Rugby Union
20th Aug 2024

Ashleigh Richardson is gearing up for her international debut on the rugby field as part of the Pacific Nomads Rugby Sevens team that will tour Tahiti in October.
Ashleigh, who is having a strong season in her first year playing rugby union with the Glen Innes Elks, was surprised to be selected but is looking forward to the tour.
The Guyra local grew up playing soccer for Guyra before moving on to League Tag with the Guyra Super Spuds. She moved to rugby union this year after the Spuds pulled out of the Group 19 competition and has had a significant impact as part of the Elks first women’s team.
Ashleigh, who is known for her hard hitting, no nonsense style of play, hasn’t looked back since changing codes. She is loving the physicality of her new sport and is especially enjoying the off field interactions with her team mates who have made the transition easy.
In her first season she earned representative honours with the New England rugby union side playing rugby in the country championships. It was through this experience that she caught the eye of selectors who invited her to apply to become part of the Pacific Nomads team.
Joining her in Tahiti will be fellow Elkettes team mates Sarah Miller, Bree Risbey and Satara Speedy. They have already stepped up their fitness training and will be fundraising over the coming weeks to help fund the trip.
To cap off a great year , this weekend the Elkettes will be hoping to book a spot in the grand final, playing in the major semi final aganist Tamworth.