Pom-Pom Proves herself as Player and Coach
Her name’s Ruby, but as she’s seldom seen without her Hartlepool Rugby Club bobble hat the 14-year-old has earned the nickname Pom-Pom. However, she’s no fluffy, tentative teammate but someone who’s gone the extra mile.
Ruby and her twin sister, Violet, joined Hartlepool after the club went into their secondary school, High Tunstall, to run after-school rugby sessions.
The girls soon enjoyed being part of the club’s U13 girls’ team, Ruby always easy to spot in her bobble hat. Moving up the age groups, she asked whether she could help coach the U12 girls’ team as part of her Duke of Edinburgh award.
U12s head coach, Nicola Hunter, said: “Ruby threw herself into coaching and quickly started planning training and skill sessions. Once she completed her Duke of Edinburgh award, she stayed with the U12s, completing her England Rugby Referee Award in 2023. Since then, she has refereed many of our U12 girls’ games, both at home and away. At only 14, this is an enormous achievement as adult coaches often feel challenged refereeing games.
“Ruby's confidence is growing with each game. She completes a lot of research into the rules and regulations of refereeing games so she can give the girls a fair game and explains her decisions so that they understand why a certain decision has been made.
“Ruby is also a pivotal player for our U16 girls’ team and the U12 girls love supporting their coach at matches. They are Ruby's top cheerleaders, yelling loudly whenever she scores a try.”
Ruby also helps fundraise for the girls’ teams, taking part in the bitterly cold Boxing Day dip for the past three years with her teammates and coaches.
“Ruby is a top role model as a player, coach, and referee,” said coach Nicola. “She goes above and beyond in all her roles and shares best practice with the next generation of girls. We are incredibly lucky at Hartlepool Rugby Club to have Ruby on board.”
If you're interested in becoming a referee or coach like Ruby, visit our refereeing or coaching pages for more information.
