Danielle Waterman
in 2014
Date of birth20 January 1985 (1985-01-20) (age 38)
Place of birthTaunton,[1] Somerset, England
Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight64 kg (141 lb)
SchoolPalmerston North Girls' High School,
The West Somerset Community College,
Oldfield School
UniversityUniversity of Wales Institute, Cardiff
Occupation(s)Professional rugby player
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fullback
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
– Wasps Ladies ()
2014 Bristol Ladies ()
2015–2020 Wasps Ladies ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2003–2018 England 82 (205)
Correct as of 17 July 2016
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2009–2016 England 7s
2016 Great Britain
Correct as of 17 July 2016

Danielle "Nolli"[2] Waterman (born 20 January 1985) is a retired professional English rugby union, rugby sevens player and current rugby commentator. As a member of England's national rugby union team, she became a multiple Six Nations Championship winner and World Champion in 2014.[3] She was selected for the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup squad.[4][5]

Early life and career

Danielle Waterman is the daughter of Jim Waterman, who played in more than 400 games for Bath Rugby.[6] Rugby took hold of her while Waterman's family was staying in New Zealand. At Palmerston North High School, she was one of a few girls who played rugby with the boys.[7] She continued to do so at her first sports club, Minehead Barbarians RFC, after returning to England.[8] She played for the South West regional U-16s squad until she was selected to the England Senior Academy at the age of 15.

Sports career

On her Test debut in 2003 against Ireland,[9] 18-year-old Danielle Waterman became the youngest woman then to represent her country. She won the award for England's Most Promising Player in 2006 and was the national team's vice captain when England won the 2012 Women's European Championship.[10] After winning silver medals at the 2006 World Cup and the 2010 World Cup, she became World Champion at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup having scored a try in the final against Canada.[11] Subsequently, Waterman was awarded Gloucestershire's Professional Sports Personality of 2014, in addition to the English team receiving the BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award.[12][13]

Waterman holds a Level 3 Rugby Union coaching certificate. In 2014, she signed a professional contract with England 7s to prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[14] After suffering a knee injury and, later on, a broken cheekbone, Waterman was forced to pause for more than a year.[15] She returned to the field in April 2016 at the Canada Women's Sevens scoring a try in her first appearance in the pool game against Ireland.[16] The English national team won the series tournament with Waterman being named to the tournament's dream team.[17][18]

Waterman was picked for the final selection of Great Britain's national rugby sevens team competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The team finished the tournament on 4th place losing against New Zealand in the semifinal and against Canada in the match for the bronze medals.[19] She retired from international rugby in 2018 after scoring 47 tries and winning 82 caps over the course of her career.[20]

Waterman joined Wasps Ladies FC in September 2017, playing in the inaugural Premiers 15 season in which the team finished third overall. She continued to play for Wasps Ladies until her retirement.[21][22]

In 2019, she was on the first panel to determine the World Rugby women's-15s player-of-the-year award with Melodie Robinson, Will Greenwood, Liza Burgess, Lynne Cantwell, Fiona Coghlan, Gaëlle Mignot, Jillion Potter, Stephen Jones, and Karl Te Nana.[23] As well, in 2019 she was on the World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year award and World Rugby Women's Sevens Player of the Year award voting panels.[24]

In September 2020, Waterman announced her official retirement from professional rugby.[25]

Commentary work

Waterman joined the ITV commentary team as their first female rugby commentator for the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the 2020 Six Nations Championship.[26]

She co-hosts a podcast about women's rugby, Try Hards Podcast, with rugby broadcaster Laura-Jane Jones.[27]

In April 2021 Waterman was part of a short documentary named Finding Her Voice. The film focused on the abuse Waterman suffered as she made the transition from player to broadcaster.[28]

References

  1. ↑ Harding, John (20 November 2012). "WOMENS RUGBY Somerset duo in England starting XV". South West Sports News. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  2. ↑ Field, Katie (18 November 2010). "Nolli Waterman – Worcester and England – Rugby World". Rugby World. Retrieved 26 January 2016. My brother Joe called me Danni Ollie and my dad shortened it to Nolli. I also didn't think I was girlie enough to be called Danielle. No one ever uses it.
  3. ↑ "Official RFU England profile". official RFU website. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "England announce squad for 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup". RFU. 29 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  5. ↑ Mockford, Sarah (2017-06-29). "England name their squad for their Women's Rugby World Cup defence". Rugby World. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  6. ↑ Hall, Peter; Pillinger, Geoff (31 December 2014). "Waterman Jim". Bath Rugby Heritage. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "About Danielle". Official Website for Danielle Waterman. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  8. ↑ "Danielle Waterman". Sports Show – What's on at the NEC, Birmingham. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Field, Katie (18 November 2010). "Nolli Waterman – Worcester and England – Rugby World". Rugby World. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Profile at Dame Kelly Holmes Trust". Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Women's Rugby World Cup- England beat Canada to win final – BBC Sport". BBC. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  12. ↑ Fell, Laura (20 November 2014). "2014 Gloucestershire Media Sports Awards – the winners". Gloucestershire Echo. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "Sports Personality 2014: England Women win Team of Year award". BBC. 14 December 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "Danielle (Nolli) Waterman". LinkedIn. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Waterman eager to return after long injury absence". www.worldrugby.org. World Rugby. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "World Rugby Women's Sevens Series: England – Ireland". www.worldrugby.org. World Rugby. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  17. ↑ "England beat New Zealand to win in Canada". www.worldrugby.org. World Rugby. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "World Rugby Sevens on Twitter". Twitter. World Rugby. 17 April 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  19. ↑ D'Albiac, Stephen (8 August 2016). "Rio 2016: Heartache for Taunton rugby sevens star Danielle Waterman as GB loses bronze medal match". SommersetLive. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
  20. ↑ "My Life in Rugby: Former England and current Wasps back Danielle Waterman". The Rugby Paper. 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  21. ↑ "Danielle Waterman". Wasps Legends Charitable Foundation. 2020-06-24. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  22. ↑ Rowan, Kate (2018-05-01). "England's longest-serving women's Test player, Danielle Waterman, retires from international rugby". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  23. ↑ worldrugby.org. "Stars join new-look World Rugby Awards panels". www.world.rugby. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  24. ↑ worldrugby.org. "World Rugby Awards Voting Panel". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
  25. ↑ "Minehead star Waterman announces retirement". Somerset County Gazette. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  26. ↑ "Nolli Waterman – MLB Management". Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  27. ↑ "Try Hards Podcast". Listen Notes. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  28. ↑ A Rugby World Cup winner breaking boundaries in a new profession. Nolli Waterman Finding Her Voice on YouTube
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