From cricket pitches to rugby's biggest stage, England prop Maud Muir has carved out a remarkable career—but her journey to becoming a World Cup winner started with a bat in hand.
Last September, Muir delivered under the brightest lights, helping the Red Roses secure a home Rugby World Cup title in front of a record-breaking crowd of 81,885 at Twickenham. For any athlete, performing at a home World Cup brings immense pressure. For Muir, it was a moment she had been building toward since childhood.
When England cricket all-rounder Freya Kemp reached out for advice ahead of this summer's home T20 World Cup, Muir was surprised but ready with a thoughtful response. "Embrace it," she said. "Embrace having so many home fans, and find an escape. You're so familiar with your surroundings that you can go home and truly relax."
Muir's advice comes from experience. As a destructive ball-carrier and dominant scrummager, she was instrumental in John Mitchell's World Cup campaign. Now, with England on track for an eighth consecutive Six Nations title and Muir having won three straight Premiership Women's Rugby crowns with Gloucester-Hartpury, she knows what it takes to win at the highest level.
But her path to rugby stardom wasn't always a straight line. Growing up, Muir balanced rugby in the winter with cricket in the summer. "I eventually had to pick between the two, and unfortunately I wasn't as talented at cricket," she admits with a laugh.
Cricket was a family affair. Her brother still plays, and her father was part of the Redbacks Cricket Club. "We were a cricket family," Muir recalls. "Every summer we'd meet with family and friends to play. My mum loved it—she hated watching rugby because she was scared of me getting injured."
On the cricket field, Muir was a self-described utility player. "I fielded, didn't really bat or bowl. Sometimes I'd wicket-keep. I was just throwing myself around the field." That athleticism and fearlessness eventually translated perfectly to rugby, where she now makes her living "boshing" defenders—her favorite term for powerful, direct running.
Beyond rugby and cricket, Muir has another passion: pottery. The 24-year-old prop finds balance in the art form, a quiet escape from the physical demands of elite sport. It's a fitting contrast for someone who dominates on the field but finds peace off it.
Whether she's scrummaging down at Twickenham or shaping clay on a wheel, Maud Muir continues to prove that versatility—and a little bit of "bosh"—go a long way.