“I was terrified to be anywhere near a rugby pitch or a rugby ball.”
Following a second neck injury in February 2024, the thought of playing again was a huge ask for England wing Claudia MacDonald, who had already considered retirement.
A comeback that seemed nearly impossible, when MacDonald barely left her house after being told not to go in a car, is now at an unimageable point.
The 29-year-old picked up the player-of-the-match award after scoring two tries in a convincing win over Scotland in the Women’s Six Nations.
She has not just come back on the biggest stage, but is thriving and pushing for a starting spot against France in Saturday’s Grand Slam decider at Allianz Stadium.
“I’m just loving every second of being back,” a beaming MacDonald told the BBC. “We’re just surrounded by so many talents – amazing, incredible rugby players.
“It’s a privilege to put the shirt on. To be picked out today, player of the match? It makes me a bit emotional to be honest.
“The best is yet to come. Look at the skill we have throughout the squad. People say we need to be beaten but we beat each other up in training and push each other so hard.”
Having only returned in Exeter’s Premiership Women’s Rugby defeat by eventual champions Gloucester-Hartpury last December, John Mitchell decided to select MacDonald in his Six Nations squad.
After more than 12 months away from the Red Roses, she scored on her return against Italy in round one, but had to wait until the game against Scotland in Leicester to get a second shot.
Jess Breach’s form in MacDonald’s absence has made getting back into the side difficult, with the Saracens wing scoring four tries in last year’s Six Nations.
A brilliant take in the air and some nifty footwork helped MacDonald break through the Scotland defence early in the game, but her final pass failed to find full-back Ellie Kildunne.
However, her electric start continued throughout the game as she again showed her balanced running to slice through and this time round the final defender for England’s fourth try.
The Exeter Chief, who can also play at scrum-half, then grabbed another try in the second half, showing her punchy and deceptively quick running style to race clear down the left wing.
Having said she had to “learn to trust her body again”, MacDonald is back in the form that saw her start England’s World Cup semi-final win over Canada in 2022.
“Coming back from a double neck injury is all about whether you are going to be brave,” former England captain Katy Daley-McLean told the BBC.
“Can you still be brave and play in that same way? For me Claudia doesn’t look like she has been away.
“She looks fitter and stronger and really powerful. We know she is a balanced runner but she had some smart touches off the ball as well.”
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