Danielle ‘Nolli’ Waterman retired from the international game in 2018 to sign off a stellar career which has made her one of the most recognisable faces in Women’s rugby.
The latest member of England’s World Cup-winning team of 2014 to become a didi rugby ambassador, she has played for more than 15 years at the top level of the game and earned 82 international caps, scoring 47 tries.
She is an Olympian having represented Great Britain in Rio in 2016 and is the only player in the world to have played in four World Cup and the Olympics.
She will continue to play her club rugby at Wasps next season.
Rugby family
Nolli (“My brother called me ‘Danny Ollie’ and so my dad shortened it to Nolli”) wanted to become a didi rugby ambassador after helping launch the Gloucestershire franchise in June 2018.
And having grown up playing the game in a rugby family, it is no surprise that she wants to encourage a new generation of players to enjoy the game.
Her father Jim is a legend at Bath having played over 400 games for them in the 60s, 70s and 80s and both of her brothers have played at county level for Somerset.
Nolli has often been a pundit on TV and has worked for Sky Sports and the BBC.
“didi rugby is such a brilliant programme for little ones and I loved getting to help Susie Appleby at the launch of didi Gloucestershire,” she said.
“I was shown how to do it by my dad at the age of four but I also have a lot to thank my two older brothers for as we would play one-on-one in the garden every moment that we could.
“If I wanted to play with them I had to be good enough so with full contact, I had to learn to avoid them early doors. Being a smaller player throughout my career it’s held me in good stead.”