Wikipedia

Abi Burton

Abi Burton (born 9 March 2000) is an English rugby union player who plays for Trailfinders Women. She represented Great Britain in rugby sevens at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Abi Burton
Born (2000-03-09) 9 March 2000 (age 26)
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England[1]
Height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight78 kg (172 lb; 12 st 4 lb)
Rugby union career
Position Back row
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Gloucester-Hartpury (-)
2020–2022 Wasps Women (-)
2024– Trailfinders (-)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2025– England 4 (10)
National sevens teams
Years Team Comps
2019–Present England 7s
2021–Present Great Britain 7s
Correct as of 1 August 2021
Medal record
Representing  England
Women's rugby union
Rugby World Cup
Gold medal – first place2025 EnglandTeam competition

Early life and career

edit

Burton was born in Leeds and lived in Castleford, West Yorkshire, the daughter of Halifax Panthers and Bradford Bulls player Danny Burton and his wife Sarah.[1][2][3] Her twin brothers Joe and Oli Burton both played for Leeds Rhinos Academy before Joe signed for Bradford Bulls.[4] She was educated in Featherstone and was a school friend of professional footballer Jamie Shackleton. She played rugby league at Oulton Raiders and rugby union at Castleford.[5][1]

Burton studied at Hartpury College, where she captained the U18 Hartpury side that won the National Schools Sevens, and came third in the 2017 Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament in Japan. After completing her A Levels at Hartpury College,[6] Burton went on to graduate with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from St Mary's University, Twickenham in 2023, having studied on a scholarship.[7] In 2026, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Sport by the university in recognition of her outstanding contribution to English rugby.[8]

Rugby career

edit

Burton first played in the Premier 15s for Gloucester-Hartpury.[9] She captained the England women's national rugby sevens team in the Kharkiv 7s, part of the 2019 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series.[10] In September 2020, she joined Wasps Ladies.[11]

In June 2021 she was confirmed in the Great Britain Rugby Sevens squad for the delayed 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.[12]

In May 2023 Burton was awarded the Blyth Spirit award by the Rugby Rugby Players Association.[13]

In June 2024, she was named as a reserve for the British squad at the 2024 Olympic Games.[14] She was drafted into the team during the tournament when Amy Wilson-Hardy was withdrawn on medical grounds.[15] The team finished seventh.[16]

After impressing for Trailfinders Women in the Premiership Women's Rugby she was called up to the England national women's rugby union team in January 2025, scoring two tries on debut against Wales.[1][17] In 2025, she was part of the victorious England squad at the 2025 Rugby World Cup, starting the match against Samoa.[1][18][19] During the 2026 Six Nations Championship she transitioned from flanker to playing second row for the national team.[1] She featured in the final match of the championship against France as England extended their unbeaten run to 38 matches and won a fifth consecutive grand slam in the event.[20][21]

Personal life

edit

Burton had a period of ill health in 2022 with Autoimmune encephalitis spending 76 days in hospital including 25 days in a coma receiving plasma exchanges. She lost 3 stone (19 kg) in weight and had to learn to walk and talk again, had seizures, and was initially misdiagnosed as experiencing psychotic episodes.[22]

Honours

edit
England

References

edit
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alderman, Elgan (24 April 2026). "Abi Burton: From scrum novice to leader of Red Roses' 'donkey row'". The Times. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  2. ↑ Rowan, Kate (16 February 2023). "First she was sectioned, then put in a coma, now Abi Burton is aiming for Paris Olympics". The Daily Telegraph.
  3. ↑ "Sporting rugby family the Burtons are pushing each other to the top". Yorkshire Post. 28 March 2020.
  4. ↑ "Abi Burton, whose brother Joe plays for Bradford, raring to go at Olympics". The Telegraph & Argus.[permanent dead link]
  5. ↑ "Abi Burton exclusive interview: 'I had muscles bigger than most boys at high school - and got picked on because of it'". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  6. ↑ "Abigail Burton". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  7. ↑ "Sport Scholars: Abi Burton". St Mary's University, Twickenham. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "England fullback Ellie Kildunne officially becomes a doctor". Ruck. 4 April 2026. Retrieved 5 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "Introducing Wasp Ladies' Abi Burton, from Wakefield, who will be making her debut in the Tokyo Olympics 2021 rugby sevens match against ROC and New Zealand". Yorkshire Post. 28 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Abi Burton". TeamGB.
  11. ↑ "Exclusive: England Sevens star Abi Burton on crowdfunding their Olympic dream and fighting for change". Talkingrugbyunion.co.uk. 16 September 2020. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "RFU". Englandrugby.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  13. ↑ Sansom, Tom (18 May 2023). ""Inspiring Duo" – Ed Slater and Abi Burton Win Rugby Players Association Award". Ruck. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  14. ↑ Southcombe, Matt (19 June 2024). "Welsh speedster Jasmine Joyce makes history with Team GB Paris Olympics call-up". ITV.com. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "Abi Burton makes Olympic comeback as Amy Wilson Hardy withdrawn". rugbypass.com. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  16. ↑ "Around the Games: Day Four of Paris 2024". Team GB. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  17. ↑ "Olympian Burton called up to England squad". BBC Sport. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  18. ↑ Cartwright, Phil (24 July 2025). "Hunt & Scarratt in England's Rugby World Cup squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  19. ↑ "Red Roses Rugby squad for 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup". www.englandrugby.com. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  20. ↑ Alderman, Elgin (17 May 2026). "Unstoppable England snuff out French recovery to clinch grand slam". The Times. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Tomas, Fiona (17 May 2026). "Fifth straight Women's Six Nations Grand Slam is England's best yet". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Abi Burton: GB rugby sevens Olympian wrongly sectioned and spent 25 days in coma due to immune disorder". BBC Sport. 16 February 2023.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abi_Burton&oldid=1357543918"