Key Facts
| Squad | Wasps |
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| Position | Wing/Centre |
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| Age | 26 |
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| Height | 1.74m (5'9") |
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| Weight | 72kg (11st 4lb) |
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| Caps | 54 |
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As the youngest player to appear for England at the age of 17 back in 2005, Michaela Staniford, of Wasps, added to her growing list of distinctions when appearing in her second Rugby World Cup in 2010. A major personal accolade followed on December 1 2012 when she not only helped England to an historic 3-0 series win over New Zealand at Twickenham but also became the IRB Women’s Player of the Year.
Michaela has impressed while playing for her country at the highest level at both 15-a-side and Sevens. She reached the cherished 50-cap landmark at 15-a-side in the 15-3 win over France at Stade Charlety in March last year, joining Tamara Taylor, Margaret Alphonsi, Katy McLean, Amy Turner and Rochelle Clark, teammates who had already completed a half-century of Tests.
She was ‘player of the match’ when scoring two tries in the 47-0 victory over Scotland in the opening Six Nations game in February 2012, added one against Italy and two against Wales to bring her aggregate in last season’s tournament to five.
Michaela has run in 22 Test tries. She appeared in the 2006 and 2010 WRWC and the 2009 WRWC Sevens and has represented England at five levels including U19, Select and A team.
She has also captained the successful England Sevens team, leading them to two IRB Challenge Cup victories in 2012 in Hong Kong and London. Her efforts on that circuit didn’t go unnoticed either as she was named the IRB Female Player of the Year in 2012.
Michaela took her impressive strike rate in the abbreviated game to 43 tries in ten tournaments for England when scoring two in the third World Series event in China in late March this year.
Away from rugby, she is a student at the University of Hertfordshire, completing a Masters in Education. She previously attained a Sport Science degree at St Mary’s University.
Last updated: April 5, 2013
