Jess Breach ready to complete unfinished business at World Cup

Jess Breach has unfinished business when it comes to World Cups but believes she is a very different person ahead of a showpiece on home soil in 2025.

Now 27, the flying winger burst onto the scene at just 20 with six tries on debut against Canada and quickly established herself as one of the best finishers in the game.

However, in New Zealand three years ago, she made just one appearance for England, in a group game against South Africa, missing out to a combination of Lydia Thompson, Abby Dow and Claudia MacDonald in the knockout stages.

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As England fell just short to the Black Ferns in the final, Breach had to deal with both collective and individual disappointment but feels she has matured in the three years since.

She said: “Individually I think I have learned a lot. I think I have grown a lot as a player over the last three years. It was hard, the last World Cup for me personally. But I think this time around, being involved and being with the girls, being on home soil, I think the whole thing will be completely different.

“I think I’ve learned that me even being a part of the team is way more beneficial than not. I bring other stuff than just my playing ability to the squad which is what I’ve learned over the last three years. I’ve adapted and got better as an individual.”

Given some time off after the Grand Slam, Breach took the opportunity to travel before coming back into England’s World Cup training camp, part of the 42-player squad gearing up for the global competition.

And now fully fit, she feels she is in position to put her best foot forward ahead of the biggest World Cup to date.

She added: “I went to Bali. People say you find yourself in Bali, I’m not saying I did that, but I allowed my time to reflect on the seven months I’d been through since WXV, on an injury that I didn’t realise would be as serious as it was.

“You have to be your biggest critic. That is really important, I knew I wasn’t at my best and now I know I don’t want to be in that position. I had to give myself time to process that and my body wasn’t ready. It wasn’t where it was in WXV, but that is because I’d not had the long period of training. I felt like was catching up but now I feel like we’re all on a level playing field.”

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