Three alumni from Hartpury University and Hartpury College are captaining their respective national women's rugby teams in 2025.
Zoe Aldcroft is named England captain; Hannah Jones takes the honour for Wales; and Sam Monaghan steps up to captain Ireland.
England captain Zoe studied her Level 3 sport diploma and BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences at Hartpury. She has co-captained local legends Gloucester-Hartpury RFC to the last two Premiership Women's Rugby titles; captained England in the match against Scotland during the 2024 Six Nations Grand Slam; and was named World Player of the Year in 2021.
Wales captain Hannah studied BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy at the university; while Ireland captain Sam worked as a forwards coach at Hartpury — with all three appointments further cementing Hartpury's reputation for nurturing elite athletes performing at the very top of their game.
Hartpury's director of elite sport, Tom Radcliffe, said: 'We’re immensely proud to see three outstanding players with Hartpury links named as captains of their respective nations.
'All three players are outstanding role models for our current students and alumni and are ambassadors of our well-established rugby pathway.'
The rugby pathway at Hartpury helps promising young players hone their skills on the field, while simultaneously equipping them for life outside the game.
Offering students unrivalled opportunities to play rugby while they study, Hartpury students also have the chance to get involved with everything from coaching to nutrition.
And students aged 17 and over can also be considered for the senior Gloucester Hartpury RFC programme, which allows talented players to excel on the professional and world stage.
