“There were six of us, in a three-bed,” laughs Hunt, who also lives with England centre Tatyana Heard. “It is technically a four-bed, and there’s a really good sofa. It was only for like a month after the World Cup [last November]. Sam was buying a house but it still hadn’t gone through, so we just made it work.”
Their ability to problem solve is emblematic of the journey that Gloucester-Hartpury have been on in recent seasons. The West Country side have often fallen short against the big London clubs but with their increased alignment to Gloucester men – the players now train at Kingsholm once a week and have played there several times this season – they are a different beast in an increasingly full-time club environment.
Muir, Monaghan and Lewis have already had a lineout and speed session before sitting down to chat with Telegraph Sport on a crisp Tuesday afternoon. An analysis and a separate gym session will follow later, before the whole squad convenes for evening training.
“There’s quite a big group of us now who can make everything, but some players still juggle it around their own work,” says Muir, the only member of the four on a full-time contract. Hunt cuts in: “I’d say a third of the squad are able to make day sessions, but one of our props for example, Kathryn Buggy, has to use her lunch break to be able to access physio. It is changing, but it’s still about shining a light on that sort of stuff.”
Monaghan was one of several players to turn down a contract from the Irish Rugby Football Union last year to continue playing in the Premier 15s – “I really love playing in this league – there are so many challenges playing against the best players in the world,” she says – and she is still figuring out her next move.
Given her side’s rich vein of form, you can hardly blame her. Gloucester rank top for tackle success and have one of the fastest attacking ruck speeds of any team. They have also scored more tries from backs than any other side, thanks to the exploits of winger Ellie Rugman and centre Rachel Lund. The biggest headache the four face is trying to agree a time when they are all free to catch up on the last episode of BBC crime drama Happy Valley and not letting standards slip at their weekly ‘burrito night’, held without fail every Friday.
