Rugby World Cup: England centre Tatyana Heard's journey from supermarket to semi-final

Tatyana Heard made her England debut successful 2018

Just nether 3 years agone Tatyana Heard started moving successful a supermarket.

The centre's way to World Cup stardom aged 27 is arsenic unexpected arsenic that opposition suggests.

She has taken the agelong roadworthy to the tourney acknowledgment to not 1 but 3 anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

It was arsenic Heard was preparing to instrumentality from the past of these that the Covid-19 lockdown began.

The Gloucester-Hartpury backmost was near without an income arsenic coaching enactment dried up, and alternatively turned to her section supermarket.

Six days a week Heard would get up astatine 3am, enactment until 10am, person a nap, train, eat, past spell backmost to furniture earlier it would each commencement again.

"It was beauteous boring," she tells BBC Sport. "I ne'er thought I would adjacent beryllium playing successful the World Cup fto unsocial starting successful the semi-final."

How schoolhouse prepared Heard for World Cup pressure

Heard's astonishment was shared by galore erstwhile she was named successful England's World Cup squad successful September.

Given a declaration to instrumentality to the Red Roses aft a three-year interruption successful March, she was included implicit the much experienced Amber Reed.

Heard did not halt there. After caput manager Simon Middleton rotated his broadside for the last World Cup excavation crippled against South Africa, she took her chance.

Displaying each the carrying quality she tin offer, she was subordinate of the lucifer successful that crippled and Middleton decided to rework his backline to get her successful for the quarter-final.

Helena Rowland relinquished the 12 garment and and moved to full-back to marque mode for Heard - and that is however things enactment for the semi-final astatine Eden Park.

Heard made her archetypal England quality successful 3 years successful September

Being thrown successful precocious successful a World Cup is simply a high-pressure situation, but different of Heard's vocation twists and turns has prepared her for that.

Once the supermarket occupation became excessively repetitive, she took up proviso enactment successful a secondary school.

Earning your eighth headdress successful a World Cup semi-final is something, but is it arsenic nerve-wracking arsenic teaching Spanish to a country afloat of teenagers erstwhile you person ne'er spoken a connection of the connection successful your life?

"I could beryllium giving a subject lesson, maths, English, thing really," Heard explains.

"It was comic due to the fact that sometimes you'd beryllium fixed a Powerpoint and told to present it. At times, the kids would inquire 'Have I got this right?' and I was determination Googling due to the fact that I wasn't sure. It was beauteous difficult."

Quiet disconnected the pitch, rampant connected it

Overall, Heard says she was "pretty chilled" astir teaching topics she did not cognize overmuch about, but the astir stressful facet was speaking successful beforehand of a class.

Around England camp, she is known arsenic 1 of the much reserved members of the squad.

Often recovered with a publication successful hand, Heard volition instrumentality herself distant to beryllium and work softly alternatively than beryllium with a ample group.

"They springiness america loads of down clip truthful I marque definite I walk a mates of hours a time connected my ain doing what I privation to do," says Heard, who is presently speechmaking Bounce, a non-fiction publication exploring the secrets to sporting success.

"Otherwise it would beryllium precise consuming. It's important that radical person clip to bash what makes them consciousness their best."

Anyone who saw Heard tally done South Africa and Australia volition cognize she is not truthful quiescent connected a rugby pitch.

"On a crippled day, I'm a spot different," she says. "I americium truly excited and I privation to beryllium astir the team.

"Some days I spell successful truly calm and immoderate days I'm a spot much nervous. I conjecture we'll spot what comes this week.

"I had my doubts arsenic to whether I would beryllium present astatine all. To get to this constituent is truly exciting."

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