Leicester Tigers can confirm the signing of Celia Quansah ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The 27-year-old joins Tigers from Wasps, whom she represented in the Premier 15s. Despite being born in Twickenham, Quansah’s rugby career began in the midlands, when she started playing whilst attending Loughborough University. Prior to this, she had been a star athlete, winning the Gold Medal in Long Jump at the 2011 UK School Games and has competed in the Heptathlon at the British Championships, a field of contestants that included Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill.
When asked to describe her game as a winger, Quansah was quick to point out her sporting background, saying “I’m a big power athlete so I definitely use my strength and size to my advantage.”
Despite only picking up the sport at the age of 21, the wing adapted extraordinarily well, her prodigious talents spotted by both Loughborough Lightning and the England Sevens programme the latter of which she joined just 6 months after first picking up a ball.
Quansah has not only made an impact in the fifteen a side game, but also sevens, where the wing has represented both England and Team GB, both at the World Rugby Sevens Series and, in 2021, in Tokyo at the Olympic Games, where the team fell just short of the Bronze medal. Her World Sevens Series statistics show her eye for the try line, recording 20 tries in 47 matches played.
When asked about how she approaches switching between both versions of rugby, Quansah responded “There’s definitely a switch in mindset. In 15s, I feel I have to look for work as opposed to being involved in so much of the game in 7s. Also, the mental challenge of staying switched on for a full 80 rather than 14 minutes!”
Speaking about the signing of Quansah, Leicester Tigers Head of Women’s Rugby Vicky Macqueen said: “We are delighted to announce that Celia is joining Leicester Tigers! She will add incredible dynamism to the squad across the back-three, while her record across both 7s and 15s, both domestically and internationally, speaks for itself.”
Having just been introduced to her new teammates, the wing was quick to add that “The group have been so welcoming and made us feel at home from the off. I know a few of the girls from my days at Lightning so it’s fab to reunite with them.”.
