My Story: Marlie Packer
From her first steps in rugby wearing a frilly top to winning a World Cup, Marlie Packer talks about her rugby journey.
Selling raffle tickets might not be the most ordinary fond memory of your junior rugby days, but Marlie Packer is no ordinary player.
The flanker took her first steps in the game at Ivel Barbarians RFC, now Yeovil Rugby Club, working her way through their minis section playing in mixed teams all the way through to age grade teams, and it was here her talent was spotted as she represented England Under 19s while at her hometown club.
“I used to go to church a lot with my grandparents every weekend on a Sunday but that soon changed and it was rugby every Sunday,” said the 30-year-old.
“My mum actually worked behind the bar back then and me and my friend Tom Lane used to sell raffle tickets during the day. I think we must’ve been 12 or 13 and we used to nag all the old men watching then men’s game – £1 a strip or £2 for three strips, that still lives with me now.
“When I go back to Yeovil and go up there, they always remind of being that nagging little teenager who wanted money off them.
Her first rugby experience came when a school friend took her down to the club, but thinking her daughter was just going down to watch, Packer’s mum had not quite dressed her for the occasion.
“I was in this pair of jeans and a red top with frilly bits on the side and around the neck – I used to hate the top – and I can remember coming back and I was absolutely caked in mud.
“Mum said ‘I’m going to have to throw that all away’ which I was really happy with!”
Standing alongside Johnno
Yeovil are not a club who forget one of their own. After being part of the England team that beat Canada in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup final in France, they invited Packer back for an honorary black tie dinner including friends, family and club members.
“There was this massive picture of Martin Johnson with the World Cup from 2003 and they ripped this paper cloth down and there was this massive picture of me against the wall, holding the trophy and the St. George’s flag behind and it’s still there to this day.
“It’s quite funny as when I get friends playing there they send me photos saying ‘as if this is your club and you’re up on the wall like this’ so it’s great to have that.”
Packer, a qualified plumber, has also had time playing sevens and went to the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens but has spent the majority of her career in XVs.
She reached a second World Cup final in 2017 in Ireland, where England were beaten in an enthralling game in Belfast by New Zealand but is targeting a place in the squad when the tournament will be hosted by the Black Ferns next year.
“For me going to the 2017 World Cup I wanted to be a double winner and obviously I didn’t get that.
“I keep challenging and I want to be better, and in 2021 I want to win that World Cup again. Until I retire I want to be at the top of my game and I want to be at the top with England.”
'I'm going to win that ball'
From her first club, Packer has represented Bath, Wasps and Bristol before her move to current club Saracens in 2017. On her debut, Packer scored six tries against Worcester and was a pivotal part of a team crowned the best in the country as they beat Harlequins 24-20 in the inaugural Tyrrells Premier 15s final, where she was named player of the match.
As well as winning the title with Sarries, she finished as the league’s top try scorer during the 2017/18 season as she crossed 20 times.
Known for her physicality in defence, skill at the breakdown and her regular bursts through defensive lines, Packer says her approach has always been about wanting to be in the middle of it.
“I think my mum would say back when I was younger I was all-action then, I never stopped unless I was asleep – and even that was hard work to get me to sleep.
“I just like to be in the thick of things. On the pitch with that ball, I want it - if it’s 50-50 I’m going to win that ball, that’s my mentality.
“I love making line breaks and those big carriers but I also love defence, but sometimes the best form of defence is to attack.”
Asked to describe her own playing style, Packer responds: “That’s a difficult question. A little bit no fear. All action. You never know what you’re going to get.
“I like to think I never take a step back and I’m always going forward and I would do anything for my team mates – I know they’d do that for me and I’d do that for them. That winning mentality is what you get from me.”
