Hall of Fame Profile: Natasha Watcham-Roy

Gee-Gees women's rugby Hall of Fame logo on the left, action photo from a Gee-Gees rugby game featuring Natasha Watcham-Roy carrying the ball at full speed running, with a Bishop's player in the background unable to catch her.
September 14, 2024

When Natasha Watcham-Roy joined the Gee-Gees women's rugby team in 2009, she was the youngest player on the team. Over her five-year career in the Garnet and Grey, the player they called Baby Tash grew into one of the program's greatest stars, and an Olympic medallist.

Watcham-Roy was selected as a member of the inaugural induction class for the Gee-Gees women's rugby Hall of Fame, alongside Simone Savary and the 2017 Team. To register to attend the event, which will be held following the Gee-Gees women's rugby match against Bishop's on September 21, please visit this link. 

A key theme within Watcham-Roy's reflections on her Gee-Gees career is the impact her teammates made. It began right away as the eager rookie felt welcomed immediately. "I was so excited to be joining the Gee-Gees and to start my varsity experience," remembers Watcham-Roy. "I loved that by joining the Gee-Gees I instantly gained a community." 

Another important moment happened very early on in that 2009 season. In the first match of the regular season the Gee-Gees defeated McGill by a 24-5 score with Watcham-Roy provided two of the team's four tries. In her post-game interview, the rookie simply commented, "Feels good."

Now, she reflects on the significance of that win for the team. "I wasn't as familiar with the history of having not beat them for a while, so it was nice to have that victory to gain confidence moving forward." [McGill was coming off a run of seven straight conference championships and would win again in 2013.] 

"There was such talent and determination on the team which supported my drive for continuous improvement in pursuit of achieving our goal for success," she continues. "My teammates pushed me to be a better player, leader and person."

Although individual points scored were not officially tracked by the RSEQ conference until the 2015 season, Watcham-Roy is credited in game recaps with at least 90 points during her regular season career, which ties her for eighth in program history.

Her impact was already being noticed after her rookie season - she was selected to her first FISU World University Rugby Sevens Championship roster in 2010. The team placed fourth, but the experience was vital. It was the first of three FISU team selections for Watcham-Roy during her university career, and it opened a door to international rugby. 

"FISU was an opportunity to elevate my skills, and to learn from and play with other university players. If it weren't for FISU, I do not believe I would have been recruited for the National 7s team," notes Watcham-Roy. "FISU 2014 in Brazil is where my career took off, having the national coach leading the team allowed me to be seen and play with other national athletes. I am forever thankful for FISU games as it led the way for my next steps in rugby."   

Canada won the gold medal at the 2014 FISU World Rugby Sevens Championship, and a bronze at the 2013 Summer World University Games, where Gee-Gees teammate Sarah Meng was also on the roster. 

Watcham-Roy made her senior national team debut during the 2014-15 World Rugby Women's Sevens World Series, and helped Canada win gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, scoring three tries in the tournament. 

She was then part of the historic bronze-medal winning Canadian team at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, as the sport of Rugby Sevens made its Olympic debut. Watcham-Roy was a strong presence for Canada in the bronze medal match, coming onto the pitch in the second half to provide a steady defence which held Canada's 26-5 halftime lead.

Watcham-Roy also contributed a powerful run and displayed crisp passing, helping Canada maintain possession. She played similarly in Canada's three pool play matches which set up the bronze medal triumph. 

"My playing styling is dynamic, strong on both offence and defence," describes Watcham-Roy. "I would call myself a playmaker on offence. I was a 'steppy' and fast player, breaking tackles to set up my teammates to score. On defence I loved to tackle and chase down the other team!" 

But before all that came Watcham-Roy's final season at uOttawa, where all of that play-making talent was on full display. In 2013, the Gee-Gees recorded a 5-2 regular season record, an improvement of two wins since Watcham-Roy's rookie season record and including one more highlight victory. 

The Gee-Gees travelled to Laval for the second game of the regular season and defeated the nationally sixth-ranked Rouge et Or by a 29-27 score, registering the first head to head win since 2005. Watcham-Roy contributed one try to the tally, and recalls the feeling of that game. "That was one of the most exciting games during my varsity experience and it felt so fulfilling to beat a team that was consistently out playing us." 

It was anyone's game by the half at the score was notched at 17-17. However, Laval came out of the break strong and posted 10 unanswered points. Just when the win was starting to seem out of reach for the Gee-Gees they erupted for 12 points in the second part of the second half. "It was a great way to end my varsity experience," says Watcham-Roy, who was named an All-Canadian in 2013. 

Asked to describe her time with the Gee-Gees as a whole, Watcham-Roy returns to her teammates.

"I got to play so much rugby and meet amazing people. During the season, the team was focused on our goal to go to nationals. And during the off season we got stronger and we're building up to the next season! Although I never got to experience nationals, I would not change anything. The people I got to meet and the friendships I made are forever and I am beyond grateful for that!"