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As the match ended, Sadia Kabeya felt immense relief. With a massive turnout watching, she celebrated with fellow player Lucy Packer and finally grasped that the England team had secured the Rugby World Cup. The championship match versus Canada had been so “demanding,” Kabeya found it tough to comprehend they were international winners until she the final signal came. “It was amazing,” Kabeya says. “The full-time whistle was a lot of relief, a chance to breathe out and then: ‘Wow, we’ve accomplished it.’”

England’s victory concluded a lengthy winning streak, a unbeaten streak of 33 matches, but the wider effect is what Kabeya cherishes deeply. In particular, getting off the team bus to be welcomed by massive crowds and the applause from the packed stadium after the anthems.

“I struggle to put it into words,” the England star says. “The stadium entrance was unforgettable, a unique moment. Just to observe the enormous encouragement, the mix of people – families, people who are less mature, older, many male attendees – it was huge. I absolutely must see recordings to experience it again because I feel I missed some of it because I was a bit in amazement.

“You gaze upward and you notice all the spectators. I recall people gesturing and being like: ‘See that.’ It was crazy. I quickly pulled out my phone, I was like: ‘I have to record this.’”

If Kabeya was left with lifelong memories then she also made some for the fans, with a award-winning match effort guiding her team to a 33-13 win. Crowds chanted her now-familiar chant at the title-winning party the next day, when the “Do, do, do Sadia Kabeya” was sung by her England teammate Hannah Botterman. These are all events she never imagined could be a reality a decade ago.

Kabeya first picked up a rugby ball about in a nearby London area, at the her school in Croydon, south London. Starting out with male peers, she was encouraged by the PE teacher 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 belong.

“It was in another part of town, which is a mostly white community,” Kabeya says. “I was young and I wanted to fit into the team so I modified my preferences my musical tastes, how I was speaking. I no longer talk like I did when I was in high school but I was a typical resident when I joined the club and I attempted to suppress that and suppress myself.

“It’s only as I have advanced in my career and connected with similar individuals and have encouraged my authentic personality that I am discovering my true self. I am true to who I am.”

While encouraging future athletes, Kabeya has developed a product which will eliminate obstacles deterring involvement. Working with her sponsor, she has created a satin scrum cap to protect a range of hair types from friction, rubbing and dehydration.

“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 something you can wear in rugby, where you’re perspiring and getting through a lot of work but also keeping your hair safe.

“A scrum cap is something that has been in use for ages, it’s not a revolutionary idea. But to incorporate this element, it is such a tiny detail but it can make such a big difference. In secondary school I used to use makeshift protection 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 it. It would be: ‘I’m avoiding participation because I don’t want to do that to my hair, I aim to maintain health.’ To have something that could keep people in the game or welcome additional athletes is huge.”

The ending of this World Cup cycle has been triumphant for the player. Her future games for the national team will be in the Six Nations in next season, while in the period before her priorities include the forthcoming domestic league for her club, Loughborough Lightning. In the three years between the last two World Cups, she found it quite challenging, dealing with setbacks and a “emotional struggle” during the recent tournament: “I came in thinking: ‘Oh I’ll be fine, I’ll be able to get through it.’

“I think the harder her personal life was, the more it affected her performance. I was capable of stepping back and put in the effort and seek appropriate help to prepare psychologically for a World Cup. I think, especially in sport, you wait until you hit rock bottom to seek solutions. However currently, utilizing available help and experts I can consult regularly instead of waiting to hit a bump in the road is huge.”