Feature Interview | May Campbell

Seven tries in the league, a plethora of player of the match awards and plenty of standout moments. It’s fair to say that May Campbell has been enjoying life so far this season.

Normally packing down in the front-row at hooker, Campbell has found herself in the flanker jersey throughout the start of this campaign, and admitted that she’s loved being able to be more involved in the game.

“It’s been great fun playing in the back-row. I’ve loved being back on the field with the girls and being in the back-row, I’ve had a chance to have more involvements in the game. I’ve hugely enjoyed it.”

Campbell has been around this Saracens squad for a while now, but at the start of this season, she has also added more of a leadership element to her game, co-captaining the side in the absence of Marlie Packer and Lotte Sharp. Leadership has not come without its challenges, but Campbell explained that she has relished stepping up into the role.

“I’ve been around the squad for a long time now and I’m someone who speaks up in training and on the pitch. That leadership side of things has been something that has been a work-on for me this season. It’s been about looking at how I can bring my knowledge to the game and help those around me to try and bring out the best in each other. It’s been a challenge at times, but I’ve loved the opportunities that I’ve had so far.”

Today will be the first time in three weeks that Saracens have taken to the field, and they will be determined to right the wrongs of that defeat to Exeter last time out. Campbell is under no illusions that this afternoon’s game will be a huge opportunity to pick up some momentum again, heading into another big block of fixtures.

“We’ve had a good run of games as a team, and we’ve welcomed everyone back gradually. It didn’t go how we wanted down in Exeter, but we can use this weekend to turn things around. We’ve started the season with the mentality of knowing what we want to achieve. There’s a real focus and motivation from the whole group. We’ve got some great depth, and we know that changes will be made, and training is going to be so competitive to get the best out of each other come game day.”

It doesn’t come much bigger than facing Harlequins at StoneX Stadium. These age-old rivals have played out plenty of epic matches on the biggest of stages throughout their history, including last season’s cracker. Saracens edged that one in front of a record crowd and Campbell smiled when reminiscing about the occasion.

“There was so much pride walking out into that noise last season. It gave me goosebumps and got me even more hyped up for the game. I remember some of the key moments in that game and some of the turnovers we got; the crowd were so loud and really helped us through.”

“It’s always far better playing Quins at StoneX than the Stoop! It’s a great rivalry and these are the games that you want to get up for. Last year, it was pretty close, but the crowd really helped us through. It gave us an added level of excitement on the day. We don’t always get to play in front of that many people, but games like we had last year are special and those occasions make me feel really proud to be part of a club like Saracens.”

That pride in playing for the club is also built upon the relationship that Campbell and her teammates have built with the supporters, with Campbell breaking out into a beaming smile, as she explained just how much of a boost they give her and her teammates on the pitch.

“The fans shouldn’t underestimate just how much fuel they give us as a team. If we’re camped out defending, hearing them and knowing that they have our backs gives us such a boost. They really are the 16^th player for us.”