'I fell off a cliff' - How Tatyana Heard fought her way back into England's World Cup-winning team

A life goal was complete, a collective mission accomplished and Heard - who won her 36th cap in the No 12 short for the final at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham - had earned the right to enjoy what she had achieved.

Yet handling the question of what comes next provided an unexpected challenge for the 31-year-old from Kirkbymoorside.

“I fell off a big cliff,” the veteran of nine England seasons and two World Cup campaigns tells The Yorkshire Post.

“Especially six to eight weeks post-World Cup, I found it really difficult. It was probably one of the hardest moments of my career, which I think is tough to accept because it shouldn't have been.

“And that's what I think hit me so hard is that I'd come off this massive high and I was like, well, what do I now? Do we just go again? But equally I was so burnt out I was not necessarily ready to do it again.”

The relentless nature of the global rugby schedule meant she was not off a rugby pitch for long.

Within a few weeks she was back at Gloucester-Hartpury, her club since 2017 with whom she had won three successive Premiership titles.

Looking back on those first few weeks now, Heard realises she was on cruise control.

“I was still playing rugby and I didn't have a care in the world because I'd reached my goal,” she remembers. “But I was so carefree that I was probably playing quite well.

“But that wasn't sustainable because I wasn't working hard or that focused. I couldn't get my mindset right.

“It wasn’t February, March when I actually started to feel good again, feel confident, driven, excited to head into the Six Nations. And that's when I got injured.”

Things were starting to conspire against the former Ryedale School pupil. She needed a jolt, and she provided it herself by signing for Sale Sharks in the summer.

“I'd been at Gloucester Hartpury for nine years. I’d toyed with the idea of doing something different for a couple of years, but it never felt quite right,” says Heard, who first picked up a rugby ball on a summer camp at Malton and Norton when she was 11.

“And then last season, I definitely felt that I needed a change. I needed a fresh challenge, to be around new people, new coaches, just to give me that bit of edge and a bit of motivation to fight for something else.

“We'd come off the back of winning the league three times, it doesn't get much better than that. But I needed a new challenge.”

The move has had the desired effect. For within a few games for her new club, Heard had fought her way back into the England camp, returning to face Australia in the WXV Global Series in England last month.

For the second part of the series, a three-game tour of North America that begins tonight (midnight) in Toronto against Canada - the team they beat in last year’s World Cup final - Heard has reclaimed the No 12 shirt from Helena Rowland.

“I didn't expect it at all. Obviously, having missed the Six Nations and not really been involved since the World Cup, I didn't really have any expectations coming into this campaign,” says Heard.

“I just wanted to find my feet and perform in training. So I'm really grateful that I get an opportunity.”

The recall is a testament to her resolve and something she can take great pride in as she looks back over her journey in the sport.

“That’s what I realised after the World Cup, I’d spent my whole career thinking what’s next, but that was a moment where I didn’t want to think what’s next, I wanted to live on that high for a little bit longer,” she says.

"I’m a bit of a perfectionist and really competitive so I’m always looking for what the new thing is.

“It’s hard to look back and say I’ve come so far because I’m still trying to get there, even though I don’t know where ‘there’ is.

“If I was to stop and think about being 11 years old and training with boys at Malton and Norton, having your chips and sausages after the game, to being here now…

“We’re so privileged as a Red Roses group that we have so many opportunities and so many exciting moments that you take it for granted at times. But when you’re in this environment you’re always fighting for more; more opportunities to do something in training, to put on the shirt. You spend your life being a competitor, always wanting more.”

Heard wins battle for the No 12 shirt...for now

​Tatyana Heard goes into England’s game with Canada tonight vowing to offer something different to her rival for the inside centre spot, Helena Rowland.

Head coach John Mitchell has opted for Heard’s direct running over Rowland’s play-making ability in the No 12 shirt.

“I just want to be consistent,” said Heard. “I think that me and Helena are such different players.

“I would never compare myself to her, I just want to play my own game. I want to be physical. I want to be consistent in what I'm doing.

“And then hopefully more opportunities come with that.”

England play Canada again next Friday in Ottawa and the United States the following week in New Jersey.