Statistics
| Squad | Worcester |
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| Position | Wing |
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| Age | 26 |
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| Height | 1.73m (5'8") |
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| Weight | 70kg (11st 0lb) |
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| Caps | 42 |
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Speed should be the middle name of Katherine Merchant, who has the stunning strike rate of 37 Test tries in 42 appearances, including four in the 46-8 Nations Cup victory over South Africa at Appleby College, Ontario last August. She completed a 64-minute hat trick and added her fourth three minutes from the end. Katherine also crossed the Canada line in the final that the Red Roses won 41-19 and was quick to open her 2012 RBS 6 Nations account with two against Scotland at Lasswade RFC in February.
She also had the distinction of sharing in the two Test victories over New Zealand at Twickenham and Esher in November 2011, having run in a try in each of the three 2010 WRWC pool matches against Ireland, Kazakhstan and the USA. Gloucester-born, she has spent ten years with Worcester where she started in the U16 team along the route to caps at England U19, A team and Sevens levels.
Katherine has captained Worcester, West Midlands and the national U19s and is now a rugby coach at London Wasps, having previously worked as a personal trainer in Birmingham. She previously attended Prince Henry’s High School in Evesham, Oldfield Academy in Bath, Bredon Hill Middle School and the University of Birmingham where she gained a degree in Sport & Exercise Science.
Her experience includes playing for England teams in the Nations Cup in Canada, along with Sevens appearances in the World Cup in Dubai and the San Diego tournament. Katherine said: “I owe a lot to Nicky Crawford, the Worcester and England Women’s wing, who nurtured my game from when I was 16. I also admire her on field performances.” Nicky became the first women’s player to score 60 international tries. She added: “I also respect Bryan Habana and Ben Foden.”
With this help, Katherine went on to become the Worcester Player of the Year while her sister Esther ran the 400 and 800 metres for England. She brackets together her top ground and best rugby experience with Twickenham being the backcloth for the 10-3 triumph over New Zealand in November 2009, topped by the 2010 Rugby World Cup final.
Nothing still beats Katherine’s first cap. She said: “It was an away match against Ireland in the 2005 Six Nations. I was 19, had ten minutes on the field and scored a try with my first touch of the ball.” Outside the game, she enjoys playing the bass guitar.
Last updated: February 07, 2012