Red Roses star Sadia Kabeya: ‘Meeting teammates who look like me helped me open up’

The moment the game concluded, relief washed over. With a massive turnout watching, she embraced her Red Roses colleague Lucy Packer and only then realised that the Red Roses had won the Rugby World Cup. The final against Canada had been so “demanding,” Kabeya found it hard to believe they were global titleholders until she the final signal came. “It was unbelievable,” Kabeya says. “The final whistle was a lot of ease, a opportunity to relax and then: ‘Wow, we’ve achieved it.’”

England’s victory topped off a lengthy winning streak, a 33-game winning run, but the wider effect is what Kabeya recalls fondly. Specifically, stepping off the squad vehicle to be greeted by thousands of supporters 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 witness the incredible backing, the mix of people – families, people who are less mature, older, loads of men coming to the game – it was immense. I certainly need to review footage to experience it again because I believe I didn’t fully absorb it because I was a bit in amazement.

“You gaze upward and you see everyone in the stands. I recall people gesturing and being like: ‘See that.’ It was crazy. I quickly pulled out my phone, I was like: ‘I need to film this.’”

If Kabeya was granted unforgettable moments then she also made some for the fans, with a starring display in the final leading the Red Roses to a decisive triumph. Fans voiced her well-known slogan at the title-winning party the next day, when the “Sadia Kabeya chant” chorus was led by her England teammate Hannah Botterman. These are all moments she did not comprehend could be a possibility a ten years back.

Kabeya first took up the sport about 15 miles south-east of Twickenham, at the her school in the London borough of Croydon. Starting out with male peers, she was supported by her coach and former England prop Bryony Cleall to follow her passion. When she started at her initial team, in a different locale, she felt she had to alter her behavior to fit in.

“It was in Richmond, which is a mostly white community,” Kabeya says. “I was inexperienced and I wanted to fit into the team so culturally I changed my musical tastes, my speech patterns. 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 felt the need to adjust and suppress myself.

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

Alongside inspiring the next generation, Kabeya has developed a product which will remove more barriers preventing participation. Working with her sponsor, she has created a satin scrum cap to safeguard various textures from friction, rubbing and drying.

“It’s been a process because we had to find the right material with how it can function while allowing airflow as it has to be appropriate for the sport, where you’re perspiring and facing physical demands but also protecting your hair.

“A rugby headgear is something that has been existing for decades, it’s not a novel invention. But to add this layer, it is such a small thing but it can make such a big difference. In my younger days I used to improvise with household items because I didn’t want to get my hair messy but I was passionate about rugby so it wasn't an issue.

I was a typical resident when I moved to the area and I wanted to change that and suppress myself

“However, for certain individuals that would be the end. It would be: ‘I’m avoiding participation because I prefer to avoid damage, I don’t want to have breakage.’ To have gear that supports involvement or welcome additional athletes is huge.”

The completion of the competition has been triumphant for the player. Her future games for the national team will be in the Six Nations in the spring, while in the interim her priorities include the next club competition for her team, Loughborough Lightning. In the three years between the last two World Cups, she found it far from easy, facing physical issues and a “mental dip” during the recent tournament: “I came in thinking: ‘Oh I’ll be fine, I’ll be able to ride it out.’

“I think the harder her personal life was, the more it affected her performance. I was able to go away and address the issues and seek appropriate help to get myself in the best head space for a major tournament. I think, especially in sport, you frequently postpone action to try and do something about it. But today, accessing support systems and experts I can consult regularly as opposed to reacting to issues is huge.”