Connie Powell has experienced profound loss in the past few months but is allowing the sudden death of her brother to provide fresh perspective on her international rugby career
The sudden death of her brother is driving Red Roses hooker Connie Powell to make her grieving family proud.
Powell’s older sibling Matt Burgin-Powell, a detective sergeant at Suffolk Police, died suddenly last November aged 32 of heart attack.
The pair were very close, with Burgin-Powell regularly coming to watch his sister in action for both Harlequins and England.
It came after Powell had missed out on a place in the Red Roses squad for the World Cup but having earned a recall from John Mitchell for this year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations, the 25-year-old is playing for her family as much as herself.
“He loved-,” said Powell, speaking at the Allianz Stadium. “He came to watch all the time, and he was my biggest supporter. I know he’ll be with me if I play.
“I was really close to him so that gave me massive perspective on life. I’m just trying to enjoy every day and keep enjoying the small things.
“I think I just want to come in and give my family something to smile about. It’s a really hard time for them right now. I want to come in, try and do them proud.
“I’ve got almost no expectations of myself. It’s been a real tough few months, but I think that almost makes it more enjoyable, right? Because you’re just coming in, enjoying being in camp, enjoying being around the girls.
“Amazingly rugby is probably a distraction, which on some days I really need. You do it because I think to myself if everything goes wrong and I had to start again ‘what would you do?’ – I would always play rugby.”
That perspective has helped Powell come to terms with the disappointment of missing out on selection for the World Cup.
Powell had been part of the England squad in New Zealand for the previous World Cup in 2022 but knew that she would likely only have one shot of appearing on the biggest stage on home soil.
Coping with that disappointment has not been easy, and Powell admits that it was bittersweet being part of the sold-out crowd at Allianz Stadium when the Red Roses claimed the title against Canada last September.
“The biggest thing for me was probably the feeling of disappointment that this wouldn’t have come around again in my career and the feeling of just really missing an opportunity,” added Powell, speaking at an Allianz-event and opening the doors to Allianz Stadium and engaging in the local community with St Mary’s students.
“You’re sad, you’re angry and then you look at it in a positive light. I watched all the games, and I was the number one supporter from home, screaming for the girls.
“It was emotional, bittersweet in a way. It was amazing to see the buzz around the place but at the same time as soon as the final whistle went and they’d won it was like ‘oh my god’.”
As well as cheering on the Red Roses, Powell turned to a new creative spark in the meantime, launching a hair extension business after training during the off-season.
Having a distraction away from rugby has been particularly welcome, while Powell is also aware that a rugby career does not go on forever.
Returning to Allianz Stadium to take on Ireland, in the first match at the Allianz following the record breaking RWC win, she said: “It’s quite therapeutic, easy on the body on recovery days. I’m 25 and I’m aware you’ve got to have something more. I just tried to use that time I had.
“You go and do hair extensions, listen about someone else’s life, give them loads of confidence and then you’re like, that’s all right, go and do it again tomorrow. So yes, it’s nice to have something completely different.”
Powell has been through a lot over the past 12 months but after returning to the England set-up with the chance to represent the Red Roses once again, she is making every second count.
She summed it up: “It makes you sit back and say, ‘it’s just sport.’ There’s so much more to life, my feet are a bit more on the ground and I’m way more appreciative of the small things along the journey – because we’re really lucky to do what we do.”
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