Shaunagh Brown column: England prop on why World Cup selection seemed unlikely

I didn't think going to a Rugby World Cup was something I would want to do.

I wouldn't have expected it when I was a child.

I am now 32 years old. I'm going to the Rugby World Cup for the first time and I've been involved in many sports.

The England side will play their first game in New Zealand on October 8th against Fiji.

I knew I was going to achieve more than I was supposed to after I stopped athletics.

I'm not male. I'm not a straight race. My family is a single-parent one. I grew up in a house that was rented by a housing association. I didn't get A Levels but I did get a couple of qualifications.

There isn't much going for me in this society.

I knew I was always going to do more than I was allowed to.

I don't like obeying expectations. When I tell people I play rugby, they think I'm not a rugby player, but I enjoy the look on their faces.

• Kabeya and Talling in England World Cup squad

'I play for the girl who doesn't know rugby's power'

Sport and the support system around me have made my upbringing and where I am now different.

I play for a girl who looks and sounds like me, but doesn't know what rugby is or how it can change her life, because she is from the same area as me.

No one else in the room looks like you, so you want to do things for yourself.

It's not possible to do it on your own. I needed to get part of my shift covered to get to training on time or not to leave a match at half-time.

Nine out of 10 people would come in early or stay longer.

My family all cook for me so I don't have to worry about it.

The world does not stop for rugby but my family supports it very much.

All my family were around me when Tyler read the squad announcement.

My nephew, who is six years old, told us to be quiet so he could concentrate while he played his games.

I made the World Cup squad because of the people who supported me.

'Sadia Kabeya is a source of support'

Sadia Kabeya is one of the most important sources of support for me.

I think my time in England camp has made life easier for other black and mixed-race players, like Sadia, and I think having her there makes a difference for me as well.

We share a lot of experiences. Our culture isn't just skin colour.

Like me, she grew up in London. We listen to music, eat at home, drink brands, and watch TV.

It used to be lonely when everyone was getting their hair done on game day and no one was confident doing my hair.

I would have to sort my hair out a week before the match so it wouldn't be damaged.

I knew I was going to have fresh hair when I saw Sadia on the squad list.

We can laugh at things and have someone understand.

'I've been knocked back, but I've made it'

I didn't feel like it was too late for me to go to the World Cup.

I didn't know it was coming, but everything I did in my previous jobs and my athletics career helped build the foundation.

I live my life that way. I don't plan for the future because as long as I am using this day to its maximum, something good will come of it.

I probably wouldn't have been in this squad. I didn't play in the fall internationals.

I only played 55 minutes in the Women's Six Nations in the year 2022.

During training camps in July and August selection was on my mind. I wanted to play for World Cup selection.

There was no time for off days. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.

Since the autumn, I have wondered why I am doing this to myself. I thought I had done well in rugby.

I wanted to show myself that I could do it. I don't think there is anything special about me. I'm tall and heavy but that's all.

What makes me elite is my willingness to make changes.

I have made it to the World Cup despite being knocked back and struggling with a neck injury, but I have been knocked back many times before.

Brown was talking to a person.

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