Infante's memorable England matches
Leanne Infante is set to win her 50th cap when she faces Ireland on Sunday.
Her rise within the Red Roses’ ranks has been unorthodox, having initially made her international debut on the sevens circuit, winning the Hong Kong sevens in 2012 before transitioning to the 15s format the following year.
Leanne's first appearance for the Red Roses came in a narrow 18-17 victory against South Africa and since then Infante has become a mainstay in Simon Middleton’s side. As she approaches 50 caps for her country, we take a look back at some of her best moments in an England shirt.
Debut against South Africa
A first appearance can often be a nerve jangling affair where the butterflies in your stomach get the better of you and the significance of the moment proves too daunting a prospect, but that was far from the case with Infante.
In the blazing heat of summer in Colorado, England found themselves in desperate need of a win in their second game of the Nations Cup tournament versus South Africa.
The pressure was on but there was no sign of apprehension from Infante on the wing as she channelled the emotion of the occasion into a calm and spirited performance that helped see her side through a closely contested encounter.
A brilliant moment to celebrate for the youngster and from the national anthem all the way through to the final whistle, it proved to be a passion-fuelled experience that has lived long in the memory.
“A debut is always special isn’t it,” said Infante. “Singing the anthem was very emotional and a lot of hard work had gone into getting to that point. I was just trying to focus on the little things throughout the game that I needed to do but it was a very emotional experience and I really enjoyed it.”
Frantic evening in France
Le Crunch is always a feisty affair that has only grown in spectacle over the years but neither players nor fans could’ve expected as eventful an evening as what transpired.
Gorgeous weather had greeted England on their travels across the channel before their clash with France and hopes were high for some expansive running rugby. However, the groundsmen threw a spanner in the works as they had watered the pitch before the game. Handling the ball with any competence was going to be a tough task.
To further add to the bizarre pre-match proceedings, parachuters that had gone astray from their target interrupted the English warmup pushing kick off back as the stewards attempted to sort out the mess.
It was one of Infante’s first starts at scrum half for the Red Roses. Few games could match the pressure Infante would’ve felt in that scenario; an unconventional but equally unforgettable evening.
“It was certainly unexpected,” she remembers. “They watered the pitch and it was just so greasy. The ball’s were awful and I had to adapt quite a lot in the game. It was one of my first big matches at scrum half so I was already under the pressure and it ramped up even more when we got to the stadium because of all of that. I’ll always remember it.”
World Cup defence opener
The Red Roses arrived in Dublin for the 2017 World Cup as the defending champions looking to be the first English side to retain their crown.
They faced a strong Spanish side in their opening match and got off to the perfect start. England demolished the Spaniards 56-5 in convincing fashion, running in 10 tries and making a statement of intent in the process. The match not only marked the beginning of their title defence, it was also Infante’s first full 80 minutes playing for her country.
It’s often a long arduous journey to get to a World Cup and the fulfilment of a dream to earn a spot on the plane is one of Infante’s most cherished accomplishments. But with blistering heat to contend with in the opener, the 28-year-old recalls feeling more than a little fatigued in the closing stages and jokingly looking to the bench hoping someone could relieve her.
“It was a long slog building up to the World Cup but I finally got there,” she said. “I remember looking over to the bench to see if they were coming on because my lungs were done and my legs couldn’t go anymore. I’m pretty sure I had a bit of heatstroke so I just lied in bed for the rest of the day and evening but it was a great day nonetheless.”
Wrapping up the Six Nations
The 2019 Six Nations was already won when the Red Roses arrived at Rugby HQ for the double-header against Scotland.
That did little to detract from the occasion though as a big crowd and a great atmosphere welcomed them to see if they could clinch another Grand Slam. Simon Middleton’s side did not disappoint as they ran in 12 tries in a dominant 80-0 victory over the Scots.
The celebrations began in earnest as Infante lifted the Six Nations trophy in front of the Twickenham crowd and her family, a very happy memory.
“That was a great occasion,” said the 28-year-old. “It’s always amazing to play at the home of England Rugby and a double-header with the men is fantastic. We heard the crowd go wild and to see so many people stay and watch our game and play as well as we did, it was a great atmosphere. My family was there too and I remember taking a massive photo of us all after which I don’t get to do that often so that was a really nice touch.”
Beating the Black Ferns
New Zealand in years prior had proven to be a thorn in England’s side, thwarting the Red Roses on multiple occasions.
Having just returned from injury Infante was looking to make her mark in an England shirt once again, and there’s no better way to do that than toppling one of the best teams in the world. To further add to the exhibition, when the visitors arrived to Franklins Gardens, they were greeted with a red hot atmosphere in the first Red Roses game attended by fans post-covid restrictions.
The scrum half put her stamp on the game with a scintillating performance in which she scored a try, capitalising on a botched New Zealand lineout, and followed it up with a well taken intercept to add to her highlight reel for the afternoon.
It was one of the best performances from an England side in recent history as they ran out 56-15 winners, a record margin against New Zealand, underlining a seismic shift in the balance of power of women’s rugby.
“We were under no illusions after the week before that they were out for revenge but we did amazingly well,” she added. “I felt a little bit of pressure being out of the game for so long and coming back into the England environment but I played really well. The atmosphere was amazing there and it was the first one back with crowds so I was just very happy with the entire day.”
