Before you slam women's rugby as 'rubbish', remember we have it so much harder than men

‘I could do that.’

It’s not everyone who would go to an England international as their first ever rugby game, already aged 25, and declare to their mum that they could compete at that level one day.

Mum, my biggest fan, told me to make it happen – and that’s what I’ve done.

My bold prediction was in March 2016, and I had barely got my rugby journey started, playing part-time for a local amateur team, Medway RFC.

I was just getting to grips with the switch from individual sports to a team one, having competed in the Commonwealth Games as a hammer thrower. 

I had thought my athletics career was over following Glasgow 2014, when I decided to step away from sports as a full-time preoccupation.

As an elite athlete, your entire life is dominated by sports.

It has to become an obsession and occupy your thoughts – I wanted to apply myself to my career and not spend all my free time consumed by my training schedule.

That lasted a fortnight.

I had no idea how people did ‘normal jobs’ – I was bored at home after my job as a commercial driver and trying to fill time.

So, on the advice of my rugby-obsessed athletic coach, I joined my local club in Kent, reckoning that the twice-weekly training would help fill the gaping holes in my schedule. 

I didn’t know a huge amount about the sport, but John Hillier, my athletics coach, talked about rugby non-stop, and encouraged me to get involved.

Even at that level of the game, our struggles compared to male players were apparent, our schedules operated around when coaches and resources were available.

There wasn’t a proper scouting system in place to bring players from amateur to county to professional level.

I had soon made that jump though.

After winning the league with Medway and