Credit: Getty
Strong Women
“I’ve been guilty of under-fueling”: Team GB’s rugby sevens captain Emma Uren on getting tournament-ready
By Lauren Geall
6 months ago
6 min read
After a fourth place finish at Tokyo 2020, Team GB’s rugby sevens squad is hungry for success at Paris 2024. And as squad captain, Emma Uren will be leading the way.
Welcome back to Strong Women’s series, Going for Gold, where we’ll be looking behind the scenes with incredible female Olympians and Paralympians in the run-up to Paris 2024. From what their training regimes look like to how they support their hormonal health, consider this your insider guide to what it takes to be one of the best in the world.
This week, we’re chatting with Emma Uren, a Team GB rugby sevens player who will be captaining the squad in Paris. Uren, who previously played Premier 15s rugby for Saracens, helped England secure a place for Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics games, where they finished in fourth. But this time around, the team is determined to win a medal – especially after they claimed gold at the 2023 European Games.
Hi Emma! Can you tell us a bit about how you got into rugby sevens?
I played a bit of tag rugby when I was younger, but it was only when I was 16 that I started playing rugby league. It was my teacher, Miss Kent from Orleans Park, who introduced me to it: she was passionate about rugby and getting women into sports. From that point onwards, I fell in love with the game. I wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and tackle people, so all I needed to do was learn how to play the game properly and hone my skills.
Rugby is a very physical sport – what does your training schedule involve?
It fluctuates depending on whether I’m in camp or off camp, but I spend an average of an hour to three hours on the pitch every day. When I’m not training, I try to have a good amount of downtime – I love a good brunch, having coffee with friends or going shopping.
How do you fuel your training?
It took me a while to realise just how much I need to eat to keep my body in good form. As an athlete, it’s easy to find yourself under-eating or under-fueling, and I’ve been guilty of that before. It wasn’t until I picked up an injury and had to eat the right amounts to help my recovery that I realised how important fuel is.
Now, I always make sure to have the right amount of protein and carbs, using a combination of meals, shakes, supplements and snacks to get me there.
Does coffee play a role in your routine?
Big time – I love coffee. My go-to order is a flat white. I found myself ordering coffee out so much that I decided to invest in a £400 coffee machine so I can make nice ones at home.
Credit: Getty
Do you drink alcohol?
I tend to be strict about my alcohol consumption. During the season or leading into it, I don’t touch any alcohol, because I know that I won’t be able to perform or get the most out of training if I do. But in the off season, I have the odd beer or cider if I fancy it.
Talking about sleep, how much do you get on average, and is it enough?
I’ve had to focus on my sleep a lot more recently. I’ve found that eight-nine hours is the perfect amount for me, and that if I go to bed earlier – so I have time to decompress – I fall asleep easier. If I don’t get enough sleep at night, I’ll try and take a nap. I find it quite difficult to fall asleep in the day, but if my eyes are shut and I’m lying down and relaxing, then I know that I’m recovering. I try not to stress too much about it.
Does your training schedule allow for hormonal fluctuations – ie a regular menstrual cycle – and how do you manage those?
I get quite bad period pains which affect my training, but I notice fluctuations in my strength and endurance throughout my cycle. We make small changes to my training to help with this – for example, I know that my back gets very reactive when I’m on my period, so sometimes I do lunges instead of squats because it’s nicer on my back.
I think it’s an area that needs to be researched more. Periods are a big indicator of how your body responds to the demands of life and training; if I’m feeling fatigued and my periods become irregular, I know my body is rundown.
On the morning of a big match, how do you prepare?
Before a gameday, I always make sure to eat a good breakfast. Rugby sevens tournaments can be a bit unpredictable, so I make sure to fuel well before we get started in case I don’t get a chance to eat until later in the day.
My Dad likes to send me a message before every gameday, so I always make sure to sit down and read that to get in the zone. Then, just before the match, I’ll put some music on and have a dance with the girls. It helps me to get into a good headspace.
What about after a tournament? How do you celebrate following a victory?
After a tournament we normally go out for a drink to spend some time together as a team. I love that social element of the sport.
Credit: Getty
What’s been the toughest moment of your career so far, and how did you get through it?
Coming back from Tokyo with a fourth place finish was really tough. It’s not spoken about enough, the post-Olympics comedown. You’re on such a high going into it, but if you leave without achieving what you set out to do, it’s hard to get back to normal.
I had people messaging me telling me how proud they were of me, but I couldn’t even read the messages without bursting into tears. I had to fall in love with the game again and learn to look at things with a new perspective. It’s an experience I’ve learned a lot from.
Who do you see as your biggest inspiration?
Because I came into rugby late, I’ve never really had a sporting role model. Personally, I’d say my Dad is my biggest motivator, because I’ve taken a lot of the lessons he’s taught me through life and applied them to my rugby.
And finally, what one piece of advice would you give to an amateur rugby player who is looking to improve?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s easy to overthink things when you’re in the middle of a tournament. I always want to be better and push myself, so I’ve found that true in the past. But when you’re learning, you’ll have highs and lows, so you have to remind yourself that learning and growth takes time. As someone who got into rugby quite late (compared to most people who play), I had to remind myself of that.
Head to house.teamgb.com to celebrate with athletes like Emma at Paris 2024.
Images: Getty
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