By Art de Roche
Valkyries full-back Josie Symonds is enjoying being back in action after almost two years out with an ankle injury.
Symonds made her first team return in Valkyries’ recent Tyrrells Premier 15s match at Loughborough Lightning where she played an hour.
Symonds said: “Everybody has been incredibly supportive and there’s been so much positivity about me getting back onto the pitch. That’s been right through from when I was still at the rehab stage.
“As I’ve broken back into the first team environment, they’ve been genuinely pleased to see me playing.
“That’s what’s given me a massive boost because although there may be some expectations, the encouragement of your teammates goes a long way.”
Before her return at Loughborough Symonds had started her playing comeback with some impressive performances in the Valkyries Development XV.
“It’s a very different game altogether. It becomes very tactical in both defence and attack. In Tyrrells Premier 15s games there’s always a right place to be so that you can positively impact games,” she said.
“It’s been a long time (since playing in the first team) and rugby’s changed a lot.
“There are a lot more structures in place compared to two years ago, so it’s been a massive challenge to get myself back into the first team. But it’s really nice that my hard work has been recognised and I’ve returned to the squad.”
Against Loughborough Lightning, Symonds was also part of a backline that ran in two free-flowing tries.
“It’s definitely encouraging. When we nail down the basics, we’re really effective. The tries we scored against Lightning came from some quite simple play,” Symonds said.
“That shows what we can do against the league leaders. Knowing that, we just need to back ourselves going forward as the season progresses.”