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When the game concluded, Sadia Kabeya felt immense relief. With a massive turnout watching, she embraced her Red Roses colleague Lucy Packer and then understood that the England team had secured the Rugby World Cup. The clash with Canada had been so “exhausting,” Kabeya found it difficult to accept they were world champions until she the whistle blew. “It was incredible,” Kabeya says. “The final whistle was a lot of ease, a opportunity to relax and then: ‘Wow, we’ve done it.’”

England’s success concluded a three-year reign, a unbeaten streak of 33 matches, but the broader influence is what Kabeya cherishes deeply. In particular, stepping off the squad vehicle to be welcomed by massive crowds and the roar from the 81,885-strong Twickenham crowd after the anthems.

“I struggle to put it into words,” the 23-year-old flanker says. “The team procession was spectacular, a once in a lifetime experience. Just to witness the incredible backing, the mix of people – families, people who are more youthful, more senior, many male attendees – it was massive. I definitely have to watch videos back to relive it because I don’t think I captured it enough because I was a bit in amazement.

“You look up and you notice all the spectators. I think of the pointing fingers and being like: ‘Check it out.’ It was unreal. I quickly pulled out my phone, I was like: ‘I must capture this.’”

If Kabeya was provided lasting recollections then she also gave spectators something to remember, with a award-winning match effort steering England to their 33-13 victory. Crowds chanted her popular refrain at the Battersea Power Station celebrations the following day, when the “Sadia Kabeya chant” was initiated by her England teammate Hannah Botterman. These are all moments she did not comprehend could be a actuality a ten years back.

Kabeya first took up the sport about 15 miles south-east of Twickenham, at the Harris city academy in the London borough of Croydon. Initially playing alongside the boys, she was motivated by an instructor and former England prop Bryony Cleall to continue with rugby. When she became part of a new squad, away from south London, she felt she had to change parts of herself to fit in.

“It was in Richmond, which is a predominantly white area,” Kabeya says. “I was just starting out and I wanted to fit into the team so I adjusted my habits what music I was listening to, my speech patterns. I no longer talk like I did when I was in high school but I was a typical resident when I moved to the area and I attempted to suppress that and suppress myself.

“It’s only as I have progressed in rugby and connected with similar individuals and have brought me out of my shell again that I am embracing my identity. I am true to who I am.”

While encouraging future athletes, Kabeya has created an item which will eliminate obstacles deterring involvement. Working with her sponsor, she has developed a specialized headgear to protect a range of hair types from abrasion, rubbing and damage.

“It’s been a development because we had to source suitable fabric with how it can perform without causing discomfort as it has to be appropriate for the sport, where you’re perspiring and facing physical demands but also keeping your hair safe.

“A protective cap is something that has been around for a long, long time, it’s not a novel invention. But to incorporate this element, it is such a tiny detail but it can make such a big difference. In my younger days I used to improvise with household items because I didn’t want to get my hair messy but I loved the sport so it didn’t bother me.

I was a proper south London girl when I moved to the area and I attempted to suppress that and hold back

“However, for other players that would be enough. It would be: ‘I’m not playing because I don’t want to do that to my hair, I don’t want to have breakage.’ To have something that could keep people in the game or welcome additional athletes is significant.”

The conclusion of the tournament has been successful for the athlete. Her future games for the national team will be in the international tournament in April, while in the interim her focus will be on the upcoming Premiership Women’s Rugby season for her team, Loughborough Lightning. In the period leading up to the tournament, she found it rather difficult, dealing with setbacks and a “mental dip” during the previous competition: “I started assuming: ‘Oh I’ll be alright, I’ll be able to ride it out.’

“I think the harder her personal life was, the more it affected her performance. I was willing to take time and do the work and speak to the right people to get myself in the best head space for a major tournament. I think, particularly in athletics, you frequently postpone action to attempt to make changes. Whereas now, utilizing available help and people who I can use consistently rather than facing problems later is important.”