Shaunagh Brown column: 'I just felt empty after losing World Cup final'

2 years ago 45

A banner speechmaking 'Shaunagh Brown BBC Sport columnist'

After England mislaid the Rugby World Cup last against New Zealand, I conscionable felt empty.

There were a batch of radical crying and a batch of tears. We were astatine a sold-out Eden Park successful Auckland truthful determination were a batch of blessed radical astir too.

I stood determination and conscionable felt nothing.

The nonaccomplishment is incredibly pugnacious to instrumentality due to the fact that determination is truthful overmuch much to it than conscionable that 1 final.

It goes beyond adjacent the agelong 7 weeks we person spent successful New Zealand trying to fulfil our World Cup goal.

We were successful pre-season since July. We busted our guts week in, week out. We gave truthful overmuch physically that sometimes we would propulsion up during grooming sessions.

When you person emptied your vessel for weeks and weeks for 1 azygous moment, it is hard not to to consciousness similar it was each for nothing.

But I bash cognize determination is simply a bigger representation and that we were progressive successful a peculiar time for women's rugby.

This England broadside inactive went connected a grounds winning tally of 30 Tests and we played successful beforehand of a grounds assemblage of 42,579 astatine Eden Park.

I person had truthful galore messages - from radical successful rugby similar ex-England subordinate Ugo Monye, to radical extracurricular similar jock Dina Asher-Smith - conscionable letting maine cognize that nary substance the result, we person inspired a generation.

'It is not the extremity of me'

Losing a World Cup last is simply a horrible feeling but I person ever been idiosyncratic with bully position connected rugby.

This would not person been the making of maine if we had won it and it is not the extremity of maine present that we person not won it.

That was not the worst time of my life. Life is acold excessively important for that.

We went down to 14 players erstwhile Lydia Thompson was sent disconnected successful the archetypal fractional and I americium truthful arrogant of the squad for however we responded to that and that we ended the last lone 3 points down.

Before rugby I competed successful athletics and it is absorbing however the cognition to metallic medals is antithetic successful squad sport.

If you won metallic astatine an Olympic Games, you would spell location to a medal ceremonial and inactive beryllium celebrated.

In squad sport, you person mislaid and that is it.

'We volition merchantability retired Twickenham'

Regardless of the result, determination is nary denying the prime of that final. It showed radical that investing successful women's athletics is worthy it.

England's national made its women's players nonrecreational earlier anyone other - we person had contracts since 2019.

England volition not little that barroom present and everyone other needs to travel up to us. We person got our archetypal standalone lucifer astatine Twickenham against France successful April's Women's Six Nations.

We volition big the adjacent World Cup successful 2025 and arsenic players consecutive aft the last we talked astir what an unthinkable lawsuit that is going to be.

The volition is to instrumentality that tourney astir the state and that volition beryllium amazing.

After the match, we spoke astir however overmuch we cannot hold to spot England play successful a World Cup last astatine Twickenham successful beforehand of 80,000 people.

Seeing Eden Park afloat yesterday, I genuinely judge that is going to happen.

We alert location connected Sunday evening and I americium truthful excited to spot my fiance Benjii and my family.

I americium truly looking guardant to a roast dinner. I haven't had 1 successful 7 weeks truthful that is going to beryllium my archetypal repast erstwhile I get home.

My mum volition privation to navigator it but I privation to spell to the carvery. I conscionable privation to heap my sheet up with truthful galore things that it each falls disconnected - that volition marque maine truthful happy.

Shaunagh Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Becky Grey.