Cristina Blanco on her RWC return and Trailfinders third season preview

Spanish international Cris Blanco discusses surreal Rugby World Cup moments and returning to the Club for her third season.

As one of the inaugural players in the Trailfinders Women squad, Cristina Blanco returns to the Club after representing her country at the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Blanco featured in every pool match in the RWC, made 44 tackles, and score two tries for Spain.

The hooker recalled the surreal feelings of representing Spain at the biggest event in world rugby.

“I think every athlete will say that reaching the top tournament of your sport is already a favourite moment. But if I have to pick one, I’ll say just being on in the pitch in the first game. I knew it was going to be big and it’s been a very hard three last years to just get in there and being able to say to yourself like, oh, I’ve made it.

“Of course, it’s a team sport and I am here for the team and I love that this is a team sport, but also you’re an athlete and you do sometimes have to motivate yourself especially during times of injury. 

“So just being able to say, oh, I’m here and I made it.” 

“It’s a weird one because when you are there, you’re trying to make the most of it and you’re trying to enjoy it. You’re trying to like make the best hits, have the best training sessions, be the good teammate. But then it goes by so fast and it’s like, oh, it’s already gone. You have to ask yourself, have I enjoyed it? It is weird, such a surreal feeling and it goes by really quickly.” 

Blanco scored two tries in her three World Cup appearances for Spain. One of those tries was scored in the final minutes of the pool stage match against Ireland. She commented on the resilience of her nation and how those attributes are emulated at Trailfinders.

“If you see how Spain plays, the determination is something that is very consistent. We never stop playing. 

“In the New Zealand game, we scored in the final five minutes. In the Ireland game, we scored in the final minute. One of our tries was ruled as no try but we went again and we scored. We know it’s an 80 minute game so we’re not going to just play like 75 minutes because that’s not how we play and that’s not who we are. That’s something that we always try to keep in mind.

“I think that resilient attitude is already in the Club but I think we can like still explore it a little bit more. We’ve had matches in the past where that full 80 minute performance can be improved or play didn’t unfold in the way we expected it to. There’s always room for progress and everyone in the Club is aware of that.”

Ahead of the 2025/26 season, Trailfinders have signed a wealth of internationals, including Rugby World Cup Winner Meg Jones, and two bronze medallists from the Black Ferns.

Trailfinders Women now boasts seventeen international players in the squad, adding to the depth of the Club. As one of the seventeen international stars at Trailfinders, Blanco discussed her thoughts on the new signings and the development of the squad since the inaugural season.

“I guess seeing the club develop and grow from zero to what we are now is quite impressive. I knew since the beginning it was like a four or five years project, so to say.

“But I think since the beginning we’ve been able to demonstrate what and who we are. We are still finding our feet of what culture we have, what values and everything.

“But it’s quite nice to be part of starting something new. I experienced at Wasps how the end of what it was to be a club, and I’m experiencing the beginning of another club. So it’s quite nice seeing both sides.” 

With the multitude of signings ahead of the 2025/26 season, Blanco praised the breadth of leaders in the squad, whether new signings or old faces at the club.

“I think we have loads of good leaders in here. I don’t see myself as a leader. I just like lead by example. I’m not a person that is going to be talking loads or a person that is going to be out there saying all their opinions and everything, because I do think we have like loads of knowledgeable players right now and really good leaders.” 

The final takeaways for Blanco from the RWC that she is bringing into the new club season is the importance of the team bond and the wider friendships within a squad that can determine success on and off the pitch.

“The team bond is sometimes more important than the team performance. We always try and do activities weekly.

“I know it’s not the same because you’re not spending the whole time together, but we still like to spend a decent amount of time together.

“I always find that the closer you are in the team, the better you perform. Not only because you get to know the squad outside rugby but you also get to know how a person reacts in different scenarios. So if you’re frustrated, I will know how to cheer you up. Or if you are mad, I will know how to bring you up.

“Knowing who a person is outside of rugby is equally as important as knowing who they are on the pitch.”