Danielle Waterman is the daughter of Jim Waterman, who played in more than 400 games for Bath Rugby.[6] Rugby took hold of her while Waterman's family was staying in New Zealand. At Palmerston North High School, she was one of a few girls who played rugby with the boys.[7] She continued to do so at her first sports club, Minehead Barbarians RFC, after returning to England.[8] She played for the South West regional U-16s squad until she was selected to the England Senior Academy at the age of 15.
Sports career
On her Test debut in 2003 against Ireland,[9] 18-year-old Danielle Waterman became the youngest woman then to represent her country. She won the award for England's Most Promising Player in 2006 and was the national team's vice captain when England won the 2012 Women's European Championship.[10] After winning silver medals at the 2006 World Cup and the 2010 World Cup, she became World Champion at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup having scored a try in the final against Canada.[11] Subsequently, Waterman was awarded Gloucestershire's Professional Sports Personality of 2014, in addition to the English team receiving the BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award.[12][13]
Waterman holds a Level 3 Rugby Union coaching certificate. In 2014, she signed a professional contract with England 7s to prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[14] After suffering a knee injury and, later on, a broken cheekbone, Waterman was forced to pause for more than a year.[15] She returned to the field in April 2016 at the Canada Women's Sevens scoring a try in her first appearance in the pool game against Ireland.[16] The English national team won the series tournament with Waterman being named to the tournament's dream team.[17][18]
Waterman was picked for the final selection of Great Britain's national rugby sevens team competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics. The team finished the tournament on 4th place losing against New Zealand in the semifinal and against Canada in the match for the bronze medals.[19] She retired from international rugby in 2018 after scoring 47 tries and winning 82 caps over the course of her career.[20]
Waterman joined Wasps Ladies FC in September 2017, playing in the inaugural Premiers 15 season in which the team finished third overall. She continued to play for Wasps Ladies until her retirement.[21][22]
She co-hosts a podcast about women's rugby, Try Hards Podcast, with rugby broadcaster Laura-Jane Jones.[27]
In April 2021 Waterman was part of a short documentary named Finding Her Voice. The film focused on the abuse Waterman suffered as she made the transition from player to broadcaster.[28]
^Field, Katie (18 November 2010). "Nolli Waterman – Worcester and England – Rugby World". Rugby World. Retrieved 26 January 2016. My brother Joe called me Danni Ollie and my dad shortened it to Nolli. I also didn't think I was girlie enough to be called Danielle. No one ever uses it.
