RAF and plumbing: The lives of England's World Cup final stars

Hooker Amy Cokayne is 1 of nan fewer England World Cup winners to still person a time occupation since professionalism came into nan women's crippled six years ago.

Victory complete Canada came successful nan 29-year-old's 3rd successive final, but alongside her rugby profession she is besides a constabulary serviceman successful nan RAF.

The RAF's Elite Athlete Scheme allowed Cokayne to attraction connected her dream of lifting nan World Cup while maintaining her subject profession successful nan background.

The Flight Lieutenant kept nan Canada battalion successful cheque astatine Twickenham, but will astatine immoderate constituent returning to her domiciled of keeping pilots successful order.

"I've ne'er arrested anyone," she told BBC Radio 5 Live's Barely Rugby podcast.

"I've done each my training, but I can't ideate I will - I'm an officer, truthful I ideate I'll conscionable nonstop someone."

Cokayne, who comes from a subject family, entered nan RAF successful 2017, aft England mislaid nan World Cup final, and moreover gave up rugby for a year.

"After nan World Cup loss, I felt I needed thing extracurricular of rugby, to fig retired a career," she told ESPN.

"I deliberation this has really helped my rugby career, having that clip distant and realising I still emotion nan sport. I still person that profession to spell backmost to erstwhile I bent up my boots.

"I'm really fortunate nan aerial unit support maine to do rugby afloat clip done nan elite athletes strategy - but I effort to thief retired wherever I can."

It is simply a very different script now to erstwhile England past won nan World Cup successful 2014, wherever an wholly amateur broadside hit Canada successful Dublin earlier going backmost to their regular lives soon after.

Captain Katy Daley-McLean was a superior schoolhouse coach successful Sunderland, while vice-captain Sarah Hunter was a assemblage rugby improvement serviceman for nan RFU.

Veteran backmost statement Marlie Packer was portion of nan 2014 winning squad, wherever a week aft lifting nan trophy she was backmost astatine her occupation arsenic a plumber - having had to return 7 weeks of unpaid time off to hole for and play successful nan World Cup.

"The customers I've been capable to show astir it, they person been overwhelmed to spot nan badge and worldly - it's really cool," she told BBC News successful 2014, while fixing a toilet.

At nan time, Packer said she was hopeful of 1 time being capable to play rugby professionally for a mates of years earlier going backmost to plumbing. But fixed nan alteration successful scenery for women's rugby successful England complete nan past decade, she whitethorn ne'er person to put down nan rugby shot and prime up nan wrench again.

"At nan infinitesimal I'm doing my level 3 coaching award. I've had my level 2 for years," she told BBC Radio Somerset successful May.

"I deliberation nan athletics has fixed maine truthful overmuch - not conscionable to nan personification I americium coming but I've travelled nan world, I've sewage friends each complete nan world."

England are 1 of nan very fewer afloat master nations successful women's rugby, which has played a portion successful making them number 1 successful nan world rankings.

Canada, contempt being number 2 successful nan world and having respective players successful nan master Premier Women's Rugby successful England, launched a crowdfunding run to boost their chances of competing against nan bigger nations.

But while nan apical of nan English crippled is capable to decently support master athletes, galore of nan stars who lined up astatine Twickenham had to find different ways to support themselves earlier reaching that level.

Front statement stalwart Lark Atkin-Davies was a superior schoolhouse coach earlier she played rugby professionally.

"It's bully to bespeak sometimes and spot nan travel that you've been on," she said.

"It's not ever been soft sailing for maine and I deliberation location were immoderate difficult times but evidently being master for nan past six years, I perfectly emotion it.

"Hand connected heart, I couldn't inquire for a amended job. I perfectly loved school and nan children, but I still get those moments now erstwhile I interact pinch nan children that travel and watch nan games."

Another personnel of England's pack, Hannah Botterman, astir took a very different way earlier master rugby arrived.

"I was a creator and decorator, due van life," she told the Barely Rugby podcast. "I was an apprentice for 1 of my mum's friends. I was moving from 7am until 4pm, past I'd do a nighttime displacement astatine nan Harvester.

"The scheme pinch nan coating and decorating was that I would return nan business connected while nan female I worked for would person a baby. But past I sewage a statement from England and sacked it off, conscionable arsenic I was bully capable to do it myself."

Even nan young, modern stars of women's rugby felt nan pinch of a moving life erstwhile nan coronavirus pandemic hit. Several players were made redundant during covid - while nan RFU kept nan XVs squad connected furlough, those connected sevens contracts were not.

Meg Jones' speed, strength, manufacture and expertise to beryllium successful nan correct spot astatine nan correct clip person made her arguably nan champion subordinate astatine this World Cup.

But during Covid lockdown, she was contemplating a early moving for Amazon.

"Toilet breaks are not really a thing. You're successful astatine 5am and past you astir apt time off astir 4pm without having to wee," said Jones, who by past had already been to a Rugby World Cup final. She had started nan 2017 conclusion by New Zealand astatine extracurricular centre.

"It was scary. I'd ne'er had different occupation successful my life and abruptly my livelihood had gone. I conscionable thought I was going to beryllium an Amazon transportation driver for nan remainder of my life."

On Saturday, Jones and co delivered a first World Cup title connected location ungraded for England.

They each cognize conscionable really difficult they had to activity for that achievement, connected and disconnected nan field.