Helena Rowland leads England's small-town golden generation

Rowland's game-breaking ability was in evidence against Scotland where she set up two England tries

"I don't remember losing, definitely not in that first year. It was a pretty dominant team."

Helena Rowland could be talking about England.

Since she made her Red Roses debut in November 2020, she has won all 11 Tests she has played.

But instead the 22-year-old is remembering a different team. One with several of the same members, but from several years before.

Welwyn are not troubling the top of the game. Their men's first XV are currently pushing for promotion from London Three North West in England's eighth tier. Their women's team also play in the lower reaches.

But, in the middle of the last decade, something special was brewing on the back pitches in Hertfordshire.

"We had a 10-12-13 combination of Zoe Harrison, Hannah Botterman and myself," remembers Rowlands of their teenage team. "Ella Wyrwas was in and around that team as well."

All four were part of Simon Middleton's 40-strong squad for this Six Nations, an extraordinary crop of players, only a couple of years apart in age.

Zoe Harrison, Ella Wyrwas, Hannah Botterman and Helena Rowland - all part of England's Women's Six Nations squad - came through Welwyn's junior ranks within two years of each other

With Rowland as captain, Welwyn's under-15s were national sevens champions, regional 10s winners and supplied players to county and country age-grade sides.

"To our knowledge we have developed more girls for the England squad than any other club in the country," Jonathan Cirkel, Rowland's former coach and Welwyn's girls rugby coordinator.

"That particular group of players - it just happens sometimes. They were just a phenomenal set of players, who worked hard for each other, played well as a team and their spirit was superb, much more so than ever happens in the boys' game really.

"I can never speak highly enough of Helena. She was a superb captain who gave a huge amount of time to developing younger players.

"That is an amazing strength of hers, she is so patient and willing to help."

Rowland and Harrison are still collaborating and co-operating. But also competing.

In the wake of Katy Daley Mclean's retirement, the two team-mates are now rivals for the England fly-half shirt. Rowland played there in the Six Nations opener against Scotland. Harrison got more game time in the autumn.

They have similar backgrounds, but different outlooks on the game.

"Zoe controls the game very well, her kicking game pins teams back and constantly puts them under pressure and that is definitely something I am trying to bring into my game a little bit more," said Rowland.

"Her tactical awareness and communication in setting up shapes and making sure forwards are in the right place are on another level.

"We differ in that I see myself a lot as a running threat. If the opportunity is there to take the ball on, I take it. I love playing in the backfield and having that counter-attack opportunity.

"There is a balance. We are quite different, but it pushes you to get better in areas you are not known for."

Does their shared history make their competition easier?

"It does and it doesn't," said Rowland

"We know each other and each other's games well, but equally you have always had that competition.

Helena Rowland and Zoe Harrison were deployed in the same starting XV at times over the autumn

"It makes it a bit harder when you have come up through the age groups together to then be fighting it out for that one shirt."

Rowland slipped into another shirt for autumn wins over Canada and New Zealand, playing outside Harrison as a centre, just as they did in their teenage years at Welwyn.

"It was a bit of shock, I haven't played there for a few years, but I enjoyed having a bit more freedom at 12," added Rowland, who name-checks the similarly versatile Romain Ntamack and Beauden Barrett among fly-halves she enjoys watching.

"I definitely wouldn't say I am an out-and-out specialist 10, and I am not sure I want to be. it is useful to cover a few positions."

She moved from Saracens, where she was playing alongside Harrison, to Loughborough Lightning in September 2020. The move was inspired by her studies - she is four years into a five-year sport science degree at Loughborough University - but also by a shared style.

"What drew me from Loughborough was their style of play," she said.

"They are quite an expansive team, who will have a go from everywhere. That is the type of rugby I really enjoy playing, not being afraid to play out from 22m. If it is on, it's on and we go."

With the Rugby World Cup six months away, England coach Simon Middleton will have to decide which way he goes: Rowland's running skills or Harrison's kicking know-how, the rapier or the cosh.

Whichever route he decides, the roots lead back to the same place: Welwyn and another extraordinary team.

Welwyn's girls squad in 2016, with Helena Rowland (back row, second from left), Ella Wyrwas (front row, second from left) and Hannah Botterman (front row, third from left). Rosanna Moynihan (front row, far left) and Cara Wardle (back row, fourth from left) have played Premier 15s rugby for Exeter and Saracens respectively

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