PhD scholarship student Lauren Delany: The road leading to Six Nations Rugby, funded research and Sale Shark Captaincy

Lauren Delany is carrying out her PhD with the Carnegie Applied Rugby Research (CARR) group as part of the Carnegie School of Sport. Her research includes both quantitative review of the current dietary guidelines to change body composition in elite athletes, as well as qualitative exploration of players’ and nutritionists’ lived experiences, barriers, and enablers of managing body composition in professional rugby.

How it all started

Lauren moved to England to pursue her Master’s degree in 2012. Being well-versed in competitive sport (Lauren climbed to the top ranks of basketball in Ireland, England and further afield) she took up rugby at a local club in Milton Keynes after relocating for work. Initially, it was to make new friends, which she did so at Bletchley Ladies Rugby Club. However, this social hobby soon changed the trajectory of her life as she knew it.

Lauren relocated again for work, to Manchester this time, which took her to new heights playing championship rugby with Firwood Waterloo in Liverpool. During this period, she still continued to play basketball and Gaelic football as well. In 2018, she was headhunted at an Irish Qualified talent day by the Irish Senior’s XV’s Head Coach, Adam Griggs. Lauren was selected to join the November 2018 International Squad.

How it’s going

Since Lauren’s debut against the USA, she has continued to be involved with the Irish team, already boasting 22 senior international caps so far. Following five years with Firwood Waterloo, Lauren joined Sale Sharks in 2020, cementing her place in Premier Women’s Rugby (PWR) as co-captioning the team last season.

“I’m lucky to have two world class, ex-international rugby captains for head coaches at Sale Sharks,” Lauren explains. “Katy Daley-Mclean and Rachel Taylor are not only excellent coaches, but they also have a very person-centred approach to leadership and value team culture highly.

"They both inspire and encourage me to put the person first in my leadership role as co-captain and push me to grow and develop every day. Being a player in elite environments has made me a better practitioner and researcher, by allowing me to see first-hand what the key barriers and enablers are that players face in managing their diet. It has also taught me to be more balanced in my approach with athletes, as dietary behaviour change is more complex than we think.”

Player, Practitioner, Performance Nutritionist

Playing is not the only way Lauren gets involved with the well-established club. Lauren’s PhD research is part funded by the Sale Sharks Rugby team, in exchange for her expertise in conducting research with the club. She is their lead performance nutritionist, providing dietary support to both the men’s senior team (who compete in the Gallagher Premiership and European club competitions) as well as with the junior academy, which includes players between 15 to 18 and is the strategic lead nutritionist for the women’s team.

“My PhD is using behaviour change science to explore body composition in men’s elite rugby union and league,” Lauren elaborates. “We are investigating how male rugby players can be supported to manage their body composition more effectively across the season.”

“The role is a mixture of player facing support through workshops and one-to-one consultations, and behind the scenes work with the club chefs, logistics team and nutrition partner companies to ensure the players have the best provision of food within the Sharks environment.”

Joining a roster of world-class researchers

While working for the English Institute of Sport and British Cycling, Lauren was intrigued by the prospect of continuing her career while carrying out further study. “What appealed to me most was that it was an applied doctorate where I would continue to work as a nutritionist within elite sport, alongside my research,” she explains. 

It was also the esteemed reputation of academic staff and research teams at Leeds Beckett which confirmed it all for Lauren. “The CARR group also has a great reputation for rugby research, so I was keen to join this group of world class researchers. From a nutrition and qualitative research perspective, the university is well known in the industry, and I had many conversations with research fellow and Lecturer Dr Meghan Bentley about her PhD experience which sealed the deal for me.”

Additionally, Lauren also receives support through the Sport and Active Lifestyles Sports Scholarship Programme, which includes strength and conditioning support, performance and nutrition workshops, facility access, sports membership and more during her studies and beyond.

“Being supported by the LBU Sports Scholarship Programme has been great over the last year. Access to the University facilities has been really helpful when I’m on campus and the scholarship funding has supported me to manage all my rugby expenses." - Lauren Delany

Balancing work, studies and competitive sport can be testing, but organisation and grace are absolutely key to Lauren’s approach. She has long-adopted communication skills and compassion for herself over the years, nurturing a realistic approach: “It’s not possible to give 100% in all aspects of my life so I try to plan in rest periods, mental decompression from big tournaments and practice self-compassion when things occasionally don’t go to plan.”

“It’s certainly a challenge to balance everything, but I’ve been used to combining sport with school, university or work for as long as I can remember,” Lauren says. “I try my best to communicate as early as possible with everyone when there are pinch points in the year and find solutions.”

Reflections on the Six Nations

Following a slew of injuries and surgery on her ankle, Lauren donned the Irish jersey to play in the most recent Women’s Six Nations, her fourth tournament of this calibre. Her tournament began as a travelling reserve for Ireland vs Wales, before claiming a spot on the team sheet for the match against France. She finished the tournament with three games in her belt starting at fullback.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t have a great tournament as a team, which was really tough,” Lauren explains, candidly. “But the experience of getting back into the playing squad and being involved in the tournament again was a privilege. This tournament is growing in exposure every year and it’s great to be involved.”

The future looks bright

The inaugural Women’s XV tournament is taking place in October, with Ireland competing within Tier 3 in Dubai. Meanwhile, Sale Sharks have just secured their best finish in the PWR league last season, with sights now set on a top 4 placement at the end of the next fixtures.

“I try my best not to think too far ahead in any of my careers as things can change very quickly in elite sport,” Lauren explains. “Right now, my focus is to continue playing and enjoying my rugby with Sale Sharks and Ireland, and hopefully help the team qualify for the next Rugby World Cup in 2025. With Sale Sharks women, our ambition is to win the PWR in the next few years.”

“As a practitioner, my ambition is to create a world class nutrition service within the whole Sale Sharks Rugby Club and support the men to win championships in the Premiership and in Europe,” she continues. “Academically, I want to continue to enjoy the PhD journey, publish my research, and complete my doctorate.”

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