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As the game concluded, a wave of relief swept through. With a massive turnout watching, she embraced her Red Roses colleague Lucy Packer and finally grasped that the Red Roses had won the Rugby World Cup. The clash with Canada had been so “gruelling,” Kabeya found it hard to believe they were international winners until she the final signal came. “It was incredible,” Kabeya says. “The full-time whistle was a lot of relief, a moment to exhale and then: ‘Wow, we’ve accomplished it.’”

England’s success concluded a dominant three years, a 33-game winning run, but the wider effect is what Kabeya cherishes deeply. In particular, stepping off the squad vehicle to be met with throngs of fans and the cheers from over 81,000 spectators after the anthems.

“I find it hard to describe,” the young forward says. “The walk-in was amazing, a rare opportunity. Just to observe the enormous encouragement, the mix of people – parents and children, people who are more youthful, elderly, loads of men coming to the game – it was immense. I definitely have to watch videos back to relive it because I feel I missed some of it because I was a bit in amazement.

“You look up and you see everyone in the stands. I recall people gesturing and being like: ‘Look, look.’ It was crazy. I quickly pulled out my phone, I was like: ‘I have to record this.’”

If Kabeya was left with lifelong memories then she also made some for the fans, with a player-of-the-final performance guiding her team to a 33-13 win. Crowds chanted her now-familiar chant at the post-victory event the day after, when the “Do, do, do Sadia Kabeya” was initiated by her England teammate Hannah Botterman. These are all occasions she couldn't foresee could be a reality a in her younger days.

Kabeya first started playing rugby about in a nearby London area, at the Harris city academy in Croydon, south London. Initially playing alongside the boys, she was motivated by an instructor and former England prop Bryony Cleall to continue with rugby. When she started at her initial team, away from south London, she felt she had to alter her behavior to be accepted.

“It was in another part of town, which is a predominantly white area,” Kabeya says. “I was inexperienced and I hoped to be accepted so culturally I changed what music I was listening to, how I was speaking. I no longer talk like I did when I was in my teens but I was a typical resident when I came to Richmond and I kind of wanted to change that and conceal my true identity.

“It’s only as I have gone along in the sport and met other people who look like me and have helped me rediscover myself that I am finding [my] personality. I am authentic today.”

In addition to motivating young players, Kabeya has created an item which will reduce hurdles preventing participation. Teaming up with a brand, she has created a satin scrum cap to shield different styles from rubbing, irritation and damage.

“It’s been a journey because we had to find the right material with how it can perform without causing discomfort as it has to be appropriate for the sport, where you’re sweating and facing physical demands but also keeping your hair safe.

“A protective cap is something that has been around for a long, long time, it’s not a groundbreaking concept. But to incorporate this element, it is such a small thing but it can create substantial change. In high school I used to improvise with household items because I wanted to keep my hair neat but I was passionate about rugby so it didn’t bother me.

I was a typical resident when I moved to the area and I attempted to suppress that and conceal my true identity

“However, for some girls that would be the end. It would be: ‘I’m not playing because I don’t want to do that to my hair, I aim to maintain health.’ To have something that could keep people in the game or have people join the game is significant.”

The completion of the competition has been successful for the athlete. Her next appearance in an England jersey will be in the European championship in April, while in the period before her focus will be on the upcoming Premiership Women’s Rugby season for her side, Loughborough Lightning. In the three years between the last two World Cups, she found it far from easy, experiencing injuries and a “emotional struggle” during the previous competition: “I came in thinking: ‘Oh I’ll be fine, I’ll be able to ride it out.’

“I think the worse it got off pitch, the more it affected her performance. I was able to go away and do the work and speak to the right people to prepare psychologically for a World Cup. I think, particularly in athletics, you often delay until crisis point to attempt to make changes. However currently, having the resources and people who I can use consistently instead of waiting to hit a bump in the road is huge.”