'i've Never Felt More Free' - World Cup Winner Heard

England and Gloucester-Hartpury centre Tatyana Heard says she has ne'er "felt much free", having returned to her nine arsenic a World Cup winner.

The 30-year-old has been a changeless successful nan Red Roses midfield successful caller years and played successful 5 of their six matches matches during nan World Cup, including 65 minutes of nan final, arsenic England were crowned world champions.

She has since started some of Gloucester-Hartpury's matches of nan caller Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR) campaign, against Saracens and Exeter Chiefs, nan second in which she scored a hat-trick.

"It [the World Cup] was exceptional, nan biggest dream travel true, and it's an absorbing one, I've conscionable achieved my biggest dream but past to travel backmost into nan PWR I've had a realisation that I tin conscionable chill out," Heard told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"I don't cognize why I was truthful stressed. I don't cognize why I was truthful uptight for nan past 3 aliases 4 years, trying to execute astatine my champion and trying to highest astatine nan correct time.

"Now I've travel backmost and I've chilled retired and it's gone each correct anyway, truthful it's been a large learning for maine that possibly I didn't request to beryllium truthful agitated and uptight each nan time, I could person conscionable enjoyed it a spot more."

Heard, who has 36 world caps, is 1 of Gloucester-Hartpury's longest-serving players, and has been a cardinal cog successful their trio of PWR title wins successful nan past 3 years.

In June, Heard signed a new deal to widen her enactment pinch nan nine she joined successful 2017.

She made her England debut successful 2018 and was portion of nan broadside that reached nan World Cup last successful 2021 earlier winning nan Six Nations successful 2023, 2024 and 2025.

While Heard said she "loved each moment" of playing successful a location World Cup this summer, she believed she did not play astatine her best, contempt putting unit connected herself to do so.

"I wouldn't opportunity that I performed astatine my champion successful nan World Cup, truthful to travel distant from it and wonderment why I put that unit connected to not get nan result I needfully wanted successful position of capacity is an absorbing one," she said.

"We still won a badge and nan capacity doesn't really matter astatine nan extremity of nan day, cipher cares who played good successful nan last arsenic agelong arsenic you travel retired pinch nan medal."

Heard added that nan realisation has shifted her perspective.

"I've been saying to nan girls I've ne'er felt much free successful my life," she said.

"It's beautiful fun, playing a spot of rugby and really emotion rather calm astir it. So I'm enjoying myself astatine nan moment."