Donna Rose (rugby union)

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Donna Rose
Date of birth (1991-06-05) 5 June 1991 (age 34)
Place of birth Salisbury, England
Height170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb)
Occupation(s)Carpenter, rugby player
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop
Current team Saracens
Senior career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2010–2019 Trojans 153 (0)
2019–present Saracens (0)
International career
YearsTeamApps(Points)
2021–present Wales 27 (0)
Correct as of 22 March 2025

Donna Rose (born 5 June 1991) is a Welsh Rugby Union player who plays prop for the Wales women's national rugby union team and Saracens. She made her debut for the Wales national squad in 2021 and represented them at the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship. [1]

Contents

Club career

Growing up in Hampshire, Rose began playing rugby as a teenager, first as a winger for Ellingham & Ringwood RFC under-18s, and later in the back-row for Trojans, for which she made 153 appearances. [2]

After captaining the team for five years, she was approached by then-coach Alex Austerberry to play for Saracens. [2] She signed with the team as prop in 2019. [3]

International career

A Welsh grandfather enabled Rose to join the Wales national squad. [2] She made her debut in the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship in a match against France. [4]

Rose was selected in Wales squad for the 2021 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. [5] [6] She was named in the Welsh side for the 2025 Six Nations Championship in March. [7] [8]

She was eventually named in Wales squad to the Women's Rugby World Cup. [9] [10]

Personal life

A trained chef, Rose now works full time as a carpenter with a housing association. [2]

She has been outspoken about her experiences of living with borderline personality disorder (BPD), saying in an interview that she wants to use her platform "to show others that you can live a good life with BPD". [4] She has spoken out against discrimination she has faced for her Traveller background. [11] Rose is an ambassador for rugby-focused mental health charity Brave Mind, and for Rugby Against Cancer. [4]

References

  1. "Donna Rose". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Carpenter Rose passionate to ply her trade with Wales". Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  3. Price, Lucy (9 July 2019). "Donna Rose". Saracens. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Heatly, Gary (9 April 2021). "Donna Rose Exclusive: "I want to share my experience of living with Borderline Personality Disorder to help others"". Talking Rugby Union. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  5. Jones, Liz (21 September 2022). "Wales Rugby World Cup squad named". Welsh Rugby Union. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  6. "Wales: Siwan Lillicrap captains 32-player Rugby World Cup squad featuring 19 tournament debutants". Sky Sports. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  7. "NEWS: Wales Women name squad for Guinness Women's Six Nations". Six Nations Rugby. 15 March 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  8. Gillespie, Graeme (14 March 2025). "Lynn names 37-strong Wales Women squad for Six Nations". Welsh Rugby Union. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  9. Coleman-Phillips, Ceri (11 August 2025). "Women's Rugby World Cup: Alex Callender in Wales squad despite injury". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  10. "Lynn names Wales squad for Rugby World Cup 2025". Welsh Rugby Union . 11 August 2025. Archived from the original on 11 August 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  11. Sands, Katie (21 April 2022). "'Everyone thought I was a thug and I tried to take my own life — now I play rugby for Wales'". Wales Online. Retrieved 22 April 2022.