TATYANA HEARD has hailed representing England at the World Cup last month as the time of her life.

Kirkbymoorside-born Heard made four appearances during the World Cup for the Red Roses, including in the 34-31 defeat to New Zealand in the final.

Heard also featured in the 75-0 Pool ‘C’ win over South Africa - during which she won the player-of-the-match award - the 41-5 quarter-final triumph past Australia and 26-19 semi-final victory against Canada.

“The World Cup was amazing,” Malton and Norton product Heard told the No Tackle podcast.

“It was only something that I could have ever dreamed of. I never thought I’d actually be going to the World Cup.

“Just to be there was great. All the experiences along the way highlighted that and made it such an amazing experience. The trip itself was great and to play at that level, I loved it.

“I went into the tournament with no expectations and they were exceeded massively. I ended up having the time of my life really.”

Having missed the first two matches of the World Cup, Heard could not have imagined how she go on to fare for the remainder of the trip in New Zealand.

“We sat down with Midds (Simon Middleton, England coach) at the start of the tournament and he spoke to us about our roles on the trip,” Heard recalled.

“Everyone played a role, whether that was starting a game, finishing a game or putting in shifts in training but maybe not getting much game time.

“I was massively under the impression that I wouldn’t really play.

“The South Africa game came around and I got the opportunity to start. I got player of the match which was really cool and probably the best day of my life.

“Luckily, I started the quarter-final and semi-final too. It was a bit crazy because in the first week, I didn’t think I’d be playing, although I thought I was really lucky to be there.

“Luckily I got a bit of game time and I was really thankful for that. I learnt so much along the way too.

“Being on the bench for the final, I was just thankful to be part of the matchday squad.”

Reflecting on the disappointment of the final, Heard added: “We lost in the final and I was heartbroken.

“The first week or so afterwards was really tough. I just sat at home and thought ‘I’m never going to be over this, it’s the worst thing ever.’

“It’s not, there’s bigger things in the world.”

Heard has since returned to club rugby with Gloucester-Hartpury, featuring in the side’s 61-0 thrashing of DMP Sharks in the Allianz Premier 15s earlier this month.

Appearing off the bench, Heard made an immediate impression on her team-mates, including scrum-half Natasha Hunt.

“There’s something different about Tat since she’s come back from the World Cup,” Hunt enthused.

“I appreciate that we played DMP and they’re having a hard time of it and Tat came on for 30 minutes.

“But there was another level to her game against them. I’ve never seen her play that well - the fizz on her passes, the way she carried the ball and the way that she ran - I cannot wait to play with her this year.

“I’ve always thought she was good but there’s another level that I didn’t think she could go to that she went to against DMP. I’m just very excited for her.”