Amber Reed joins as an assistant coach for the England Students Women’s programme

The Student’s Rugby Football Union (SRFU) is pleased to announce that Amber Reed will be joining as an assistant coach for the England Students Women’s programme.

Reed achieved 67 caps in her England career, winning multiple Six Nations, WXV 1, as well as the World Cup in 2014. She joins Head Coach Andrew Ford as well as Assistant Coach Poppy Leitch in leading the programme.

Amber Reed (Photo by Morgan Harlow - RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

On the appointment, Reed said: “University rugby is massive in terms of driving the game and as a pathway, and it's great that the England students team is back.

“To be a part of that, and to get something up and running, is amazing.

“I’ve played with Poppy before at Bristol before she moved down to Chiefs, and I've never worked with Fordy before, but obviously know what he's done with the Hartpury programme, so yeah, a great calibre in terms of his success and the pathways that he's been part of.”

The England Students Women’s programme has been re-established after a 20-year hiatus with the continuing growth of women’s rugby nationally and internationally.

The SRFU, along with the university sector, want to take the opportunity to showcase the significant female rugby talent still developing via the Higher Education structures in England.

“Obviously, timing-wise, there's a spotlight on women's rugby in England with the World Cup, so it's the perfect time to launch the programme and to get it out there,” Reed added.

“The pathway, I think it's really important for that age bracket, who are coming out of school looking to head into senior rugby for them to have the ability to showcase what they're about at Uni rugby, and then be able to go on and play for England students is also a really important step towards their future careers in rugby.

“I really enjoy working with this age group. They're super keen to learn, really enthusiastic, and really excited about the prospect of wanting to get better.

“I think first and foremost, it's about enjoying it. You play better rugby when you enjoy it, no matter what level you are.

“It's about bringing that group together and being really cohesive. So, first and foremost, having a bit of a laugh, but as soon as you step across that whitewash, you can have fun, but you need to be focused and switched on.

“For us, it’s about trying to find that balance between enjoying it, but also getting that graft in because we want to win the game at the end of the day.”

The UKAF Women's Rugby team, which consists of players from the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, will host a camp and a fixture against the England Students Women's.

This event will serve as a warm-up for the Women's International Defence Rugby Competition taking place in England in August, leading up to the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025.

The fixture will be held on Friday, 8 August 2025, with an 18:30 kick-off time at Aldershot Rugby Stadium, Queen’s Avenue, GU11 2TD.

The England Students Women’s programme has been generously supported by UKAF and the RFU, with the army providing essential support on Kit & Logistics from Harry Harris, as well as team liaison Sam Hodgkiss.

The SRFU is also pleased to confirm the other members also joining the team management:

S&C Lead/Scrum Coach- Ethan York

Physio- Jakki Duncan

Lead Medic- Luis Mendia

Analyst- Gemma Thompson

Sports therapist- Emily Middleton

S&C - Veli Belibul

Comms- Sky Clemens