Karen Almond helped lay the foundations of today's game by leading her team to victory in 1994.
The first England captain to lift the Rugby World Cup has said playing the sport as a young woman felt like "a great freedom".
Karen Almond, 62, led the Red Roses to victory over the US in 1994 and is hoping the current crop of players will emulate her triumph against Canada later.
As a child in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, Almond began playing football with the boys at her primary school, but was "heartbroken" to be banned from a cup final when the other team complained because she was a girl.
She said she discovered rugby as a 19-year-old student at Loughborough University, adding: "It was such an inclusive sport, it didn't matter where you were from or what your background was like."
"I think the first time I tackled somebody, I was like, wow, you can actually just take someone out and it's fine," she said.
"When you get the ball, you're literally just running as hard and as fast as you can for as long as you can. And it was just this great freedom of playing a sport like that."
As a young woman she was "very shy and almost introverted".
"I think in those days, a lot of females were," she said. "I wish I'd have shouted out a bit more about it, and said how fantastic it was when I was starting out."
In 1986, Almond joined the first international team – Great Britain at the time – before playing for Wasps and Saracens.
Her biggest moment came in the World Cup final in Edinburgh on 24 April 1994, when England won by 38-23 against a US team that had beaten them in 1991.
"Winning the World Cup was just the best day of my life," Almond said.
"We didn't have the big presentation on the stage or the fireworks and all of that, but it still meant just as much to me and to the team."
While a capacity crowd of 82,000 is expected for this year's final at Twickenham, the attendance for the 1994 match was closer to 5,000.
Nevertheless, Almond said she recalled the day being "pretty amazing".
She is due to attend this year's final and said she had goose bumps just thinking about it.
"I'm going to be sitting in a final with 82,000 people watching women's rugby. I just can't believe it.
"I don't know how I would have coped in front of 82,000 people, but it does make me feel nostalgic and very, very proud."
England have lost the last two finals to New Zealand but are favourites this time around, despite facing an in-form Canadian team.
Perhaps it is a good omen that the current skipper is also from the Yorkshire coast. Zoe Aldcroft hails from Scarborough.
Her predecessor had a message for the current crop.
"I'd just like to say good luck to the Red Roses and let's bring it home," said Almond. "World champions has a good ring to it."
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Category: General Sports
