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Natasha Hunt interview: The Queen was the absolute boss

Natasha Hunt in Gloucester-Hartpury kit
Natasha Hunt is a key figure at scrum-half for both Gloucester-Hartpury and England - Harry Trump/Getty Images

Natasha Hunt has spent more than a decade at the very top of her sport. She was part of England’s 2014 Rugby World Cup-winning team and has competed in two Olympics with the Team GB sevens side.

At club level, the scrum-half has also been central to Gloucester-Hartpury’s success and will co-captain the team in Saturday’s Premiership Women’s Rugby final against Bristol Bears as the club seek back-to-back titles.

Here she talks food, family and favourite holidays.

Who is the person you would like to meet, dead or alive?

The Queen [Elizabeth II]. I just think she was the absolute boss, I would have loved to pick her brains.

Describe yourself in three words.

Empathetic, I’d like to say, thoughtful and happy.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Definitely teleportation. The amount we travel, the amount of times I’ve wanted to be in a different place, just to go abroad for the day for some sunshine.

What is the best compliment you have ever received?

These are hard… probably that my smile is infectious, something like that.

What is your worst habit?

I’m an overthinker. I feel like there are issues when there are not.

If you could switch lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?

I can’t say that, it’s too political. OK, I’m going to say it. I’d love to switch lives with Donald Trump just to see what on Earth he’s thinking. Just to understand that thought process.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

My grandma and grandad have had a stationary caravan in Wales for their whole lives, it’s on the coast in Pembrokeshire. Just going down there when we were kids and doing Easter egg hunts and stuff like that, it was always awesome. Loved it.

What is your favourite WhatsApp group chat?

“The Circus”, our Gloucester-Hartpury groupchat. Especially when the girls are on it, it’s very good fun.

What is your most prized possession?

It’s not really a possession but I’d say my niece and nephew. They are the people I want to protect the most.

What song gets you on the dancefloor?

Pretty much anything. I love a dance, me. Anything with a good beat, a bit of rhythm.

What is your dream three-course meal and dinner guests?

Dinner guests, I’d obviously love the Queen, Nelson Mandela would be up there, and I’d love to meet Adele, I think she’s brilliant. Great craic. The meal, probably a really good fillet steak and some well-cooked chips or crispy potatoes. Chocolate mousse for pudding – it’s light but you still get that chocolate hit. For the starter, I love a Camembert to share, with little bacon bits on top.

If you could go on any reality TV show, what would it be?

I’m a Celebrity, but I would be horrendously bad at it. I hate eating anything that isn’t pretty much chicken, so I wouldn’t be able to cope with the eating challenges. I don’t like bugs. I feel like everyone would be laughing at me but I’d just love to experience it.

Do you prefer a night in or a night out?

A night out. Depends on my mood though; in-season, I love snuggling up on the sofa.

What is the best advice you have received?

Just to be unapologetically yourself. When you own what you’re good at in everything you do, I think people resonate with you so much more than when you try and be somebody you’re not.

What is your karaoke song?

It’s actually Laffy Taffy by D4L, but I won’t sing it for you, I’ll play it for you after.

What is the most ridiculous thing you have ever bought?

I recently bought a laptop case that charges your phone, watch and laptop at the same time. But it doesn’t work, so I threw it away…

What has been your favourite holiday?

I went to Bali with Zo [Zoe Aldcroft] a couple of years ago and it was just epic, I absolutely loved it. We also went to Thailand last year and it was really, really cool.

What is your biggest non-sporting achievement?

It’s related to sports, but coaching the BUCS girls [at Hartpury University] to win their league and cup titles, we went back-to-back and then won the league again last year. Being able to help the next generation come through that pathway is definitely up there.

What is the best book you have read?

I don’t really read, much to my mum’s disgust. She’s been making me read Ben Ryan’s Sevens Heaven for like forever. I am interested in it but I’m a terrible reader.

What is one law you would like to change in your sport?

There are a few. Obviously, I got done for the five-second back-of-the-box [“use it” call at a ruck], so probably that one. Also, how long an opposition can get set to play, like walking back after scoring a try, because I feel like it kills the game sometimes.

What is the most out-of-character thing you have done?

Riding a motorbike in Bali. I’m not allowed to get on a bike, my dad doesn’t let me. I’m here to tell the tale, so it’s OK.

If you were not a sportsperson, what would you be?

I would be involved in sport in one way, shape or form. I just think sports people are awesome, they’re a different breed.