DESPITE coaching girls’ rugby for eight years, Helen Price had never actually played a match herself until this year.

But now Mrs Price, 50, has been able to play her first match with the new ladies’ team she founded at Grove Rugby Club in September.

The mum-of-two from Wantage only started coaching rugby after her daughter Emily started playing at Grove aged eight.

Emily’s coach left when she was 12, so Mrs Price volunteered to step in.

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Last year, she heard about a scheme where insurance firm QBE had teamed up with England Rugby to offer free Level 2 coaching courses.

The finance officer at St Birinus School, Didcot, said of starting coaching: “It was suggested I might give it a go. found my on-pitch knowledge was lacking, but it didn’t stop me. As they got older and started to play at a higher level, I wanted to ensure my coaching skills matched the ability they were capable of playing at.”

On February 14, she and her ladies went to play a friendly “development” game with two other teams.

She said: “We won the first half and lost the second half. We were pretty happy with that.”