Key Facts
| Squad | Worcester |
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| Position | Centre |
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| Age | 25 |
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| Height | 1.81m (5'11") |
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| Weight | 75kg (11st 11lb) |
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| Caps | 0 |
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A first call to the senior women’s squad for 2012 completed Joanne Watmore’s rise through the rankings. Her impressive series of representative honours during her climb to prominence spans North West U16, England U18 and U19, England Academy, Students, Select XV, A team and Sevens. She has also played for North Midlands.
Chester-born Joanne was educated at Ditton C of E Primary and Wade Deacon High School in Widnes before studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Sport & Exercise Science at East Durham & Houghall. Next stop was Leeds Met University for a one-year course in accounts and business finance.
Her father Michael, a Level 3 coach in rugby union and league and former Widnes RFC player, owns the company, Complete Lawn Services Ltd in Weston Village, Cheshire, where Joanne works as an accounts clerk.
Not only that, Michael has exerted a major influence on her rugby career. Joanne said: “Dad spent years taking me up and down the country to games and training and is always the first person I want to speak to after I have played. I always ask him if I need advice.
“I went to my first rugby union training session at the age of eight at Widnes and stayed there until I was 16. Then I moved to Waterloo to play at senior level.”
She subsequently appeared for Darlington Mowden Park (2004-07), Halton RL (2007-09) and Warrington Wolves RL (2009-11). She now plays the 15-a-side game at Worcester. Joanne has captained five union and league teams including England Students RU and picked up four player of the year awards.
They were for Warrington Wolves, Halton Women and Waterloo Women as well as being the Halton Borough Council Young Sports Person of the Year in 2006. Her rugby travels have taken her to the Netherlands, Ireland, France, Canada and Dubai with various England representative sides and she has been to New Zealand, Australia and France with the England Women’s RL squad.
Her favourite ground is Dubai where she played for England Sevens last year and her top match was the RL World Cup semi-final New Zealand in Australia four years ago. It stands alongside the IRB Sevens Series semi-final at Dubai that brought a 12-10 win over Australia last December.
Rugby talk abounds in the Watmore household. Both of her brothers and younger sister Jade played at junior level for Widnes. Joanne’s favourite players are Sonny Bill Williams, Jason Robinson, Dan Carter and Sevens specialist Santiago Gomez Cora. She said: “They are all exciting players with the ability to change a game and are an ever present threat to the opposition.”
Last updated: January 23, 2012
