As women's sport surges on the global stage, hosts England have lit up the Women's Rugby World Cup . But the tackles, speed and power fans see on the field are only part of the story. What we don't see is what it takes - both physically and psychologically - to wear England's emblem, the Red Rose.
Author
- Helen Owton
Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, The Open University
The psychology of rugby shapes every performance. Behind the scenes lie early mornings, lonely and punishing rehab sessions, playing through pain , brutal setbacks, private doubts and personal sacrifices.
Before the whistle blows and the crowd roars, players stretch aching muscles, re-tape old injuries and mentally lock in. The changing room becomes a crucible - a place of intense pressure and transformation - where focus sharpens, rituals are repeated and the "game face" goes on.
That game face is more than a stare. It's the product of years of physical and psychological battles. It's the mindset that lets an athlete walk into the arena with purpose and conviction, no matter what pain or setbacks they've endured.
Consider Emily Scarratt, one of England's most celebrated players. In 2023 a surgeon advised her to retire after a complex neck injury threatened her career. Opting for an artificial disc replacement near her windpipe was risky - any operation that close to the airway and spinal cord carries the danger of nerve damage or breathing complications - and career-defining because the operation's success or failure would determine whether she could ever play again.
Her February 2024 return wasn't just about regaining fitness. It was also about showing the mental steel that "game face" represents, blocking out fear and doubt to perform at the sport's highest level. At 35, she became the first England player to feature in five Rugby World Cups.
Abi Burton's comeback is equally astonishing. Just three years ago she was diagnosed with autoimmune encephalitis - a rare condition in which the immune system attacks the brain, causing inflammation and severe neurological symptoms - and placed in a medically induced coma. She woke four weeks later unable to walk, talk, read or write and more than 19 kg lighter. After years of rehabilitation, she made her World Cup debut against Samoa in 2025.
Rosie Galligan's road back was just as brutal. She nearly lost her legs to meningitis in 2019, then fractured an ankle in early 2020, which sidelined her for over a year. Told by medical specialists and coaches more than once that she might never play again, she fought back to the delayed 2022 World Cup and is now a standout player for 2025 .
These headline comebacks highlight something the public rarely sees: the daily grind of resilience. Managing concussions and torn ligaments, coping with the psychological toll of repeated setbacks; just staying in the game takes an immense toll and can lead to player burnout without strong support. Ellie Kildunne, ruled out of the quarter-final with head-injury symptoms , has spoken openly about the mental strength needed to survive the toughest moments , calling the internal battles "the hardest to win".
So, while England may look clinical and composed on the pitch, every performance requires extraordinary emotional and mental strength. And the players are not doing it alone. Behind every recovery and every small gain is a network of coaches, physiotherapists, psychologists, doctors and support staff working to keep the foundations solid.
None of this happens by accident. It's the result of years of sustained investment in the women's game: not just in players, but in the infrastructure around them. Since 2009, nearly £50 million in National Lottery funding has gone into girls' and women's rugby.
The Impact 25 legacy programme - World Rugby's initiative to grow the women's game before, during and long after the 2025 tournament - is injecting a further £12 million to expand grassroots pathways: community-level coaching, clubs and player-development routes that help girls progress from school or local teams into elite rugby across England and the home nations.
Elsewhere the contrast is stark. Teams such as Samoa have had to fundraise just to get players on the pitch: a sharp reminder of the global inequalities that persist in women's sport. While England can rotate two professional squads, other national teams are simply trying to cover basic costs.
England's story shows what's possible when talent is matched with belief and when belief is backed with resources and support. England's success hasn't come easy: it's the product of years of grit, resilience and bold investment. If women's rugby is to grow globally, England's blueprint may be a powerful place to start.
Helen Owton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
