 Linda Djougang | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 May 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Douala, Cameroon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 82 kg (181 lb; 12 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Linda Djougang (born 17 May 1996) is an Irish rugby player from Balbriggan, Co Dublin. She plays for Old Belvedere, Leinster and Ireland women's national rugby union team. She works fulltime as a nurse in Dublin.
Club career
editDjougang was born and reared in Cameroon until her family moved to Rush, Co Dublin in 2005. She was aged nine and spoke only French at that time. She was a sprinter and a shot-putter but gave up competitive sport in her teens to concentrate on her education.
It was not until she was in university at Trinity College Dublin, while on a work placement, that she first encountered rugby. She was spotted playing ‘tag rugby’ in Wanderers RFC whose team manager Michelle Byrne invited her to join the club.[1]
A year after starting with Wanderers she got a trial with Leinster. She took a year out of college in 2017 to concentrate on rugby and moved to All Ireland League club Old Belvedere in order to get experience at the top level. In 2018 she made her inter-provincial debut for Leinster, versus Ulster.
She won back-to-back provincial titles with Leinster in 2019. [2]
In December 2019 she scored a try for Leinster against Harlequins in the first women’s club game to be played in Twickenham.[3]
International career
editDjougang's first international experience was a trial for the Irish Sevens. She didn’t make the cut but she flourished after Ireland manager Adam Griggs suggested she switch position from flanker to prop.
She scored a try against Wales on her Ireland debut in the 2018 Autumn Internationals.
She made her Six Nations debut, as a replacement, against Scotland in the 2019 Women's Six Nations.[4] She finished the 2020 season as one of Rugby Players Ireland’s three nominees for Women's Player of the Year. [5]
She started for Ireland in all of their 2021 Women's Six Nations games.
Personal life
editIn 2020 Djougang wrote candidly about the unique challenges she has faced: moving from Cameroon to Ireland, coming from a family and local community with no strong rugby tradition and the racism she encountered in her childhood.[6]
During Covid-19 she worked on the frontline of Irish healthcare as a nurse in Tallaght Hospital.[7]
Honours
editReferences
edit- ^ "From Cameroon to Leinster Rugby: Linda Djougang tells her story". Leinster Rugby. 8 March 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Leinster Women defeat Connacht to win Interprovincial Championship". Leinster Rugby. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ O'Sullivan, John. "Leinster make history in first women's club match at Twickenham". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Ireland Women's Squad Announced For 2019 Six Nations". Irish Rugby. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Nominees For Irish Rugby Players Awards Announced". Irish Rugby. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "'You have to fight twice as hard to have your voice heard' - Linda Djougang". Leinster Rugby. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ Cummiskey, Gavin. "Linda Djougang: 'I love rugby so much because when I am out there I can just be me'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 April 2021.