By Jo Everett
September 1 2004

Vicky Gallagher started playing rugby for Harlequin Ladies in December 2000, having begun her rugby career with Tokyo Crusaders.

Always keen to be involved on and off the pitch, Vicky did a two year stint as social secretary before attempting to convince us of her serious side as Club Secretary last season.  This year sees a new challenge for her as she takes over the Captaincy role.

 What made you start playing rugby: 

I decided that although I was thoroughly enjoying the social scene whilst working in Tokyo, that my fitness was suffering somewhat and the nearest netball club was too far away.  I met the Lady Crusaders' coaches at a BBQ and they invited me to training.  There was an instant attraction to the sport for me and, having been turned away from the pitches at school aged 10, I was keen to seize this opportunity.

 Why Quins: 

I was working in banking when I started thinking about playing rugby in the UK, so with the long hours, I needed a club accessible by train - my choice came down to Richmond or Quins.  A big factor in the decision was that Quins is a smaller club than Richmond so I felt that I would get more time with the coaches to develop my game.  Also, my grandfather used to teach Brian Moore, so I always had a soft spot for Quins as a kid.

What were your first impressions of Quins:  

My first impressions of Quins four seasons ago was that there is a very strong coaching team and I'm certain that anybody training with us this season will find this too.  I'm delighted that last season's captain, Sam Marshall will be staying with us, not only as a player but also at a coach.  When I first arrived at Quins, the players were very welcoming and this is an impression I'd like everyone to have when they join our club.

What are your aspirations for the season:

I want to build on the success that we enjoyed last season.  We had a very successful 03/04 season, finishing second in the league, narrowly missing out on the playoffs for the Premiership.  It was so close going into the last game that we were level on points with top-of-the-table Plymouth, and the points difference between us was just +1 in their favour.  It's a tall order I know, but I want to ensure that we're right up there, pushing the top teams all the way.  I have two main focuses, both of which can only be measured at the end of the season.  Firstly, I want everyone to feel that they have contributed and been part of the team, no matter how many minutes that have spent on the pitch.  Secondly, I want our opposition to say that we were a hard team to play against and pushed them all the way.  However, I'm a perfectionist, so I usually move the goalposts for myself to make challenges harder as I go along! 

What new challenges does being in Division 1 SE bring:

Had I been able to perform backflips, I would have done so on hearing that we've been moved into the South East section of the National First division this season from the South West.  This means a huge reduction in our travelling times and costs, which is most welcome as we search sponsors.  We've played many of the teams before in friendlies but as we all know, when there are some league points up for grabs, it's that bit harder and the fighting spirit comes out more.  I think that we'll have to be at the top of our game to do well in this league but equally, I feel that we have the players to do the job.

What changes would you like to make this season: 

In order to strengthen the squad, we have moved training to a Tuesday and Thursday night.  This will allow us to reach the huge amounts of talent at local universities and, looking to the future, I'm hoping will swell our numbers so that we can start to think about resurrecting our second team.  Whilst we have to nurture the raw talent in the team, we also have to provide a challenge for those who are old hands at the game.  I believe that we can accommodate this range of skills levels and that the mixture of league games and friendly fixtures is one in which everyone will be able to not only contribute, but also to stretch themselves and advance their own game. 

What can't you do that would like to be able to: 

Apart from backflips and drop-kicks?  I'd like to keep the players that we are losing this season to University.  We've had a great year and saying goodbye to people who have been with us for some time is always hard, but to all our departing players, I wish you well.  

other stuff:

Having had a record number of players trialing or playing for regional or England at various levels has been a huge source of pride for Quins this year and I hope that we can keep up the momentum on this front.  As usual, we will be running a youth side and I'd like to see more and more of them coming through to the senior squad as regional or national players as has happened for a number of years now and our youth squad has always provided us with players who will immediately challenge for a place in the senior side.