Shya Pinnock becomes a Trailfinder

Trailfinders Women are thrilled to announce the signing of second-row/ back-row Shya Pinnock.

Shya moves to Trailfinders Sports Club with bags of Premier 15s experience, having previously been at Gloucester-Hartpury and then Wasps last season.

Despite now plying her trade in rugby, it took her a while to find the sport. Initially she was a sprinter, achieving an U13 South-West record for the 100m and 200m before then taking up Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

After enjoying MMA, and the passion and aggression that comes with it, she was then encouraged by friends at school to try rugby and she instantly fell in love with the game! As she turned 18, she started playing at Old Richians in Gloucester, before she was then put in touch with the then Gloucester-Hartpury coach Susie Appleby (now at Exeter Chiefs) about training at the ALPAS Arena.

After initially impressing Appleby, Shya went on to play for Gloucester-Hartpury for four seasons, both for the Premier 15s side and the ‘A’ team, alongside representing the University of Gloucestershire. Last year she made the move over to Wasps, and now is making the short trip to W13.

Away from the game, Shya works for an environment charity that offers free advice and measures to help people be more energy efficient in their homes.

On her move to Trailfinders, Shya said: “I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to be joining Trailfinders next year and to be playing under Giselle.

“The chance to be involved in a totally new side is quite rare in elite sport and so I can’t wait to start building something exciting with my new teammates and staff.”

When discussing Shya’s move to the club, Women’s Director of Rugby Giselle Mather said: “Shya is a really powerful and exciting athlete who is going to make a huge contribution to our pack.

“She has a lot of Premier 15s experience and brings a fantastic energy in competition which I know will inspire her team mates and our supporters in equal measure. I am very excited to be working with her.”

This announcement comes after the news earlier in the week that Trailfinders Women have also signed prop Andrea Stock and flanker Fiona Cooper.