Margaret Omotayo Sanni Alphonsi (born 20 December 1983) is an English former

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player who played as a flanker for Saracens W.R.F.C. and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

before retiring in 2014. She was Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2010, and was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in November 2016 during the opening ceremonies for the Hall's first physical location in

Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, its population was 78,117, making it the List of Warwickshire towns by population, secon ...

. Alphonsi was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to rugby.

Life

Alphonsi was born in

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

, south London to a single-parent family. She was born with a club foot, which she had to overcome in order to play rugby. Alphonsi was named in the 2014 World Cup Dream Team. She retired shortly after England won the 2014 World Cup in France and now coaches and promotes female participation and coaching in sport. She was a Rugby World Cup 2015 Ambassador and is an ambassador of several not-for-profits and charities including Peace One Day, Wooden Spoon, Sporting Equals and SKRUM which aims to give the youth of Africa hope for the future through rugby. She has played in two Rugby World Cups and in 2012 shared in a record seventh successive Six Nations title and a sixth Grand Slam in seven years. She won the Pat Marshall award from the Rugby Union Writers’ Club, where she pipped New Zealand captain, Richie McCaw, to become the first woman to claim the prize in its 50-year history. She joined Gareth Malone and other celebrities in making the 2014

Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...

official single. Alphonsi attempted to qualify to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics in the

shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...

. In 2019, she was on the voting panel for the World Rugby Men's 15 Player of the Year award, the World Rugby Team of the Year award, and World Rugby Coach of the Year award. Alphonsi holds an MSc in Sports & Exercise from Roehampton University, a BSc in Sports & Exercise from De Montfort University, and a BTEC National Diploma in Leisure Studies from Hertford Regional College. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts by the University of Bedfordshire. Alphonsi and her wife Marcella Collins have two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alphonsi, Maggie 1983 births Living people England women's international rugby union players English female rugby union players Rugby union flankers Members of the Order of the British Empire Black British sportswomen People from Lewisham Rugby union players from the London Borough of Lewisham English people of Nigerian descent Sportspeople of Nigerian descent World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees The Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year winners England international women's rugby sevens players Saracens Women rugby players English lesbian sportswomen British LGBTQ rugby union players Alumni of De Montfort University Alumni of the University of Roehampton 21st-century English sportswomen