Gill Burns
| Date of birth | 12 July 1964 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (200 lb; 14 st 2 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gillian Ann Burns MBE (born 12 July 1964) is a former rugby union player who represented England between 1988 and 2002, including when they won the 1994 Women's Rugby World Cup. She also captained her country between 1994 and 1999. She was selected for England only one year after first playing rugby union. She went on to play in four World Cups, including the inaugural Women's Rugby World Cup – hosted by Wales in 1991 – where England lost to the United States 19–6.[1] Burns was also appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours for services to sport.[2][3]
One season after retiring from the England squad, Burns was asked to captain the first ever Women's World XV for their 2 test series in New Zealand.
After retiring as a player, Burns was appointed President of the Rugby Football Union for Women – who helped administer the Women's game in England – and also worked briefly as a guest commentator for Sky Sports.[4] Burns was the first woman to be made a Privileged Member of the RFU in 2012. She was inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame on 17 November 2014.[5]
As of December 2005[update], Burns is a teacher at Range High School, she stopped teaching in 2016.[6]
In July 2019, she was made an Honorary Doctor of Science (HonDSc) by Edge Hill University.[7]
The annual Women's County Championship and the tournament winners' Cup is named in honour of Burns.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Gill Burns: Confidence key to 1994 success". International Rugby Board. 6 July 2010. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "2005 Birthday Honours". The London Gazette. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
- ^ Guy, Peter (9 November 2005). "Rugby Union: Range High School teacher collects MBE for services to sport". Daily Post. Liverpool. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ Richards, Huw (27 August 2010). "Blazing a trail for the women's game". ESPN. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ World Rugby (18 November 2014). "2014 Inductee: Gill Burns". Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ^ "Gill keeps up family tradition at the palace..." St Helens Star. 1 December 2005. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
- ^ "Rugby pioneer tells graduating students to grab every opportunity "with both hands"". Skem News. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Gill Burns County Championship Fixtures 2023".