She had to Google 'rugby' before her first session but is now an international front-rower

Who is Linda Djougang: Ten things you should know about the Ireland prop

Front-rower Linda Djougang is known for her powerful ball-carrying ability, which allows her to get over the gain-line.

Ten things you should know about Linda Djougang

1. Linda Djougang was born on 17 May 1996 in Cameroon. She stands at 5ft 7in (1.7m) and weighs 12st 9lb (82kg).

2. She joined French club Romagnat, which is based in Clermont, in 2021 and has previously played for Old Belvedere and Leinster.

3. Djougang won her first Ireland cap in 2019 against Scotland in the Six Nations.

4. She qualifies to play for Ireland as she moved to the country when she was nine.

5. In 2019 she scored a try for Leinster against Harlequins in the first women’s club game at Twickenham.

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6. Outside of rugby she works as a nurse and was on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic, but she has put her career on hold while she plays in France, hoping to improve her game.

7. Ireland sevens player Louise Galvin told Sports Joe of Djougang: “She’s so dynamic and so powerful and very prolific in the loose. And I know she’s been working very hard on her set-piece game, so she’s putting herself in the prime position for selection.”

8. She says the Black Lives Matter movement allowed an avenue for people to speak about racism.

Djougang told the Irish Times: “I definitely think Black Lives Matter opened up the opportunity to talk about it. That was important.

“I feel like we are definitely getting there and it should not be something that we avoid or are scared about. It is supposed to be natural. We are all in a learning curve.”

9. She was a part of the Ireland team that did not secure qualification for the 2021 Rugby World Cup (taking place in 2022).

10. Her first game of rugby was in tag form when she was 17. She Googled ‘what is rugby?’ before attending the game.

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