Gill Burns remembers the sign that greeted her at the rugby club vividly: “No women or dogs allowed.” It was the 1980s and a future great of English rugby was taking her first strides in a sport that she would come to give so much to – but there were plenty of obstacles to be overcome.
“The people there were very welcoming,” Burns, a 1994 World Cup winner and long-time England captain, recalls. “That sign was very soon removed and we very quickly became part of the club. Once you were able to talk to people, and people watched us, we won across supporters.
