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As the final whistle blew, Sadia Kabeya felt immense relief. In front of a record crowd, she embraced her Red Roses colleague Lucy Packer and only then realised that the England team had secured the Rugby World Cup. The final against Canada had been so “exhausting,” Kabeya found it tough to comprehend they were international winners until she the final signal came. “It was incredible,” Kabeya says. “The final whistle was a lot of comfort, a opportunity to relax and then: ‘Wow, we’ve accomplished it.’”

England’s triumph topped off a lengthy winning streak, a 33 consecutive victories, but the wider effect is what Kabeya remembers most. Notably, getting off the team bus to be met with throngs of fans and the applause from the packed stadium after the anthems.

“I find it hard to describe,” the 23-year-old flanker says. “The stadium entrance was unforgettable, a once in a lifetime experience. Just to witness the incredible backing, the diversity in it – parents and children, people who are less mature, elderly, numerous guys in the stands – it was massive. I absolutely must see recordings to experience it again because I don’t think I captured it enough because I was a bit in shock.

“You gaze upward and you see everyone in the stands. I recall people gesturing and being like: ‘Look, look.’ It was crazy. I got my phone out immediately, I was like: ‘I have to record this.’”

If Kabeya was granted unforgettable moments then she also made some for the fans, with a player-of-the-final performance leading the Red Roses to a decisive triumph. Crowds chanted her now-familiar chant at the Battersea Power Station celebrations the day after, when the “celebratory tune” was initiated by her England teammate Hannah Botterman. These are all moments she did not comprehend could be a possibility a in her younger days.

Kabeya first picked up a rugby ball about in a nearby London area, at the Harris city academy in the London borough of Croydon. Initially playing alongside the boys, she was motivated by an instructor and retired athlete Bryony Cleall to pursue the sport. When she started at her initial team, outside her home area, she felt she had to alter her behavior to belong.

“It was in Richmond, which is a predominantly white area,” Kabeya says. “I was young and I wanted to fit into the team so culturally I changed my musical tastes, my speech patterns. I no longer talk like I did when I was in my teens but I was a proper south London girl when I moved to the area and I attempted to suppress that and hold back.

“It’s only as I have advanced in my career and met other people who look like me and have encouraged my authentic personality that I am discovering my true self. I am myself now.”

While encouraging future athletes, Kabeya has created an item which will eliminate obstacles deterring involvement. Teaming up with a brand, she has created a satin scrum cap to safeguard various textures from abrasion, irritation and drying.

“It’s been a process because we had to source suitable fabric with how it can function while allowing airflow as it has to be something you can wear in rugby, where you’re losing fluids and facing physical demands but also keeping your hair safe.

“A scrum cap is something that has been in use for ages, it’s not a groundbreaking concept. But to add this layer, it is such a small thing but it can create substantial change. In secondary school I used to use makeshift protection because I aimed to maintain my hairstyle but I was passionate about rugby so it didn't deter me.

I was a proper south London girl when I came to Richmond 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 want to protect my hair, I want to prevent damage.’ To have gear that supports involvement or have people join the game is huge.”

The completion of the competition has been golden for Kabeya. Her future games for the national team will be in the European championship in April, while in the period before her focus will be on the upcoming Premiership Women’s Rugby season for her side, 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 2025 Six Nations: “I entered believing: ‘Oh I’ll be alright, I’ll be able to handle it.’

“I think the worse it got off pitch, the poorer she played. I was able to go away and address the issues and consult professionals to get myself in the best head space for a World Cup. I think, particularly in athletics, you often delay until crisis point to try and do something about it. Whereas now, having the resources and people who I can use consistently as opposed to reacting to issues is significant.”