Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road
A new documentary tracks England and Bristol player Abbie Ward's maternity and return to play journey. Director Sue Anstiss MBE explains the impact the film is having.
In November 2023, Abbie Ward returned to playing rugby 17 weeks after giving birth to her first child Hallie. A new documentary, available to watch globally, from Sue Anstiss follows Abbie on her return to play and motherhood.
Sue speaks about the impacts the film has, how it tackles myths around pregnancy and activity. She also speaks about why every pregnancy and sport journey is different but how they all need equal championing:
“We’ve had an incredible response to the film so far. It’s a story that transcends sport and is certainly stimulating conversations about the challenges many women face in balancing motherhood and careers.
The documentary chronicles the remarkable journey of an England rugby player as she battles back to the professional game just 17 weeks after the birth of her baby in July 2023 - and then to secure her place back in England’s Six Nations squad for 2024.
Adding an extra layer of intrigue, the ultimate decision-maker for her return to play at Bristol Bears is the women’s head coach, Dave Ward, who is also Abbie’s husband.
We had a fantastic time filming the documentary. Abbie and Dave welcomed us so warmly into their home and shared such a special time in their lives.
The whole team at Bristol Bears High Performance Centre were incredibly welcoming, giving us full access to training.
The most emotional moment for me is at Ashton Gate as Abbie walks out with Hallie (pictured above), but I think the most impactful moment is when Abbie talks so candidly about her body after motherhood and accepting it’s done an amazing thing and how tough it is to get back to being an athlete.
I think the film shows men and women that with the right support it’s possible to come back to play after having a family.
That said, Abbie is a pretty extraordinary woman – with huge drive and commitment – and that won’t be the path for everyone, especially such a quick return. Nor should it be.
We know the legacy of the process is helping the RFU shape future developments to its maternity policy, and ultimately that will also impact other countries and federations too. Abbie was proud to be a test case!
The two recent news stories about rugby and maternity (Abbie Ward and Vickii Cornborough) show that every woman is different, every pregnancy is different and every athlete is different. But it’s important that we offer choice and support for all female athletes.”
Jess’s Thoughts:
This documentary is such an important watch. It details Abbie’s journey whilst discussing maternity within rugby.
Abbie spoke about not wanting to stop playing to have a family. She said she was nervous about the announcement in case people felt let down by her not playing.
I was especially pleased to see the coaches keeping her integrated in lots of ways at training, pre and post-natal. This included small skills, modifying activites and doing some coaching when watching scrums.
There’s been two recent maternity and rugby stories: Abbie Ward has returned to playing and Vickii Cornborough has retired. Both of these women have been celebrated.
Like Abbie mentions in the documentary, every mother is different. No journey is the same, it’s individual to the person.
I loved how open Abbie was about her return and that she wants to be a role model for her daughter but also her teammates. She never saw a rugby player being pregnant, so she wanted that journey to be visible to her teammates.
I’ve coached a few players during their pregnancy journey within grassroots rugby. It’s important to keep them as involved.
That could be doing some (obviously non-contact) skills, getting the player to do some coaching within the session, or through social events like coffee mornings.
Abbie being so open about her journey is brilliant.
I hope this increases discussions around motherhood, sporting activity and the work still to be done.
Watch Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road in the UK on ITVX
Watch Abbie Ward. A Bump in the Road globally for free on RugbyPass TV
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