‘We want to keep winning’ Red Roses star speaks as they prepare for record-breaking crowd
Jess Breach isn’t one to bow down to pressure.
She scored six tries on her first appearance for the Red Roses in 2017 and went on to shine bright as an exciting rising star for England.
Six years later, she’s cemented her place within the squad and is relied upon to pick up points from game to game.
The Red Roses are dominating this year’s Women’s Six Nations, but face their biggest test yet against France.
Already, more than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the clash at Twickenham, which features a half time performance from the Sugababes.
Breach says each game of the Championship is still a ‘fight’, with the support of the crowd essential to secure a win.
England suffered heartbreak in last year’s World Cup final against New Zealand, a loss which still weighed heavy at the start of the year.
Speaking ahead of the final weekend of the Women’s Six Nations, Breach told Metro.co.uk: ‘As a team and a nation, I think we wanted to prove a lot from the World Cup.
‘We wanted to get back together as a team and show people what we were about.
‘The impact the World Cup has had back here [in the UK] has been phenomenal, you can see that in the amount of crowds and people coming to our games.
‘It’s really important to us to make sure the game is still growing and that people are excited to watch us play.
‘We want big crowds and sell-outs- its proof of what we can do.’
Breach’s determination on and off the pitch has quickly made her a household name for fans of women’s rugby.
On YouTube, compilations of the ‘Jess Express’ in action have amassed thousands of views.
Among the crowds at men’s and women’s matches, Breach’s name and number can be seen emblazoned on the back of people’s shirts.
The 25-year-old, who was invited to England camps by the age of 16, has seen first hand the rise of the women’s game.
Now, as women’s rugby stalwarts such as Nolli Waterman and Sarah Hunter are no longer in the squad, she’s aware of her own responsibility to create a legacy like the trailblazers before her.
She continued: ‘Sarah did a phenomenal job at growing the women’s game, she was amazing. So was Nolli. When I started to play with people like them it was quite surreal.
‘Our younger players are used to playing in front of lots of people, it’s their norm now and exciting to see people get their first caps in front of huge crowds.
‘It’s definitely a cycle. I hope that when I retire I can look back but also know the new generation will continue the growth.
‘If I was a young 16-year-old girl today enjoying rugby I’d be really excited to think what the future could hold.’
Women’s rugby is growing at great speeds with more and more people switching on games, as is reflected across women’s sport.
But issues such as funding, maternity rights and equal pay remain a problem for many teams.
In women’s rugby, many people point to the heavily lopsided scorelines.
In this year’s Six Nations, England have had what may appear to new fans as easy wins against their opponents.
But Breach has explained judging a game solely on the scoreline is ‘naïve’.
She continued: ‘They don’t always reflect the game. In the Ireland game they really brought it to us the second half.
‘If you’re looking at a scoreline alone but not watching a game or reading an article, you’re not getting the full story.
‘If you watch the games, you’ll see they are still a fight. In our game against Wales, it was a fight for the first 40 to 60 minutes.
‘Being professional fuels that competitiveness and does close the gap, but obviously we do want to keep winning. And we want to bring that mindset to the World Cup.’
But before the World Cup, being held on homesoil in England, the Red Roses face their final Six Nations fixture against France this Saturday.
The team will look to hold onto their fifth successive Women’s Six Nations title.
Tickets for the match can be purchased here.
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