England"s Emma Croker relishing prospect of Women"s Rugby World Cup

England women’s rugby team are making their final preparations for the World Cup, which begins in Paris on Friday. After defeat to New Zealand in the 2010 final they are determined to make amends, with one player in particular hopeful that her biggest fan will also prove to be her biggest inspiration.

The hooker Emma Croker gave birth to Lucy two-and-a-half years ago. It was a complicated event that led to her being prohibited from any kind of training for three months. Incredibly, after four months she was back playing club rugby for Richmond and after five she was in the England side.

Croker now travels to France happy, focused and knowing she has someone willing her all the way to glory. “It means everything to have Lucy watching, I love having her there,” says the 31-year-old. “It reminds me what I’m playing for, and her little face when she sees me playing, and at the end of the games when she runs on, it lights your heart up.”

The negatives are inevitable, but far outweighed by the positives. “It is difficult for her because she doesn’t understand why I’m not here in the week, and then suddenly at the weekends,” Croker says. “She doesn’t want me to leave her side when I’m with her. But it was a conscious decision to have a baby knowing I would want to come back for the World Cup.

“When you’re an international athlete and work full-time, your whole life is a balancing act, and having a baby just adds another ball to the juggle. I have done sport all my life and any parent will know that when you have children you manage to fit more things in than you ever thought you could beforehand.”

Having been a gymnast as a child and, in 2010, an English weightlifting champion, Croker now works as a PE teacher at Swakeleys School in Hillingdon, west London. “Teaching is something I was born to do and I absolutely love it,” she says. “I find it so rewarding to help the kids and see them express themselves through sport.” More rewarding than playing for England? “Every time you put on that rose, with that great team around you, it’s amazing whether you win or lose. They are both rewarding in very different ways.”

Croker insists her approach to rugby after having a baby has changed for the better. “Being pregnant was difficult at the beginning because you get so tired doing anything, and I found it frustrating watching the girls play and not being a part of it. But after childbirth, it doesn’t matter where you put yourself, nothing’s going to hurt that much, you’re never going to reach that point.”

She has not only gained fearlessness, but wisdom and focus: “Having had the time out you can stand back and look at the bigger picture. When something goes wrong in training, you can stand back and say it’s all right. We’ve got so much training behind us and so much more to offer. Sometimes you get het up on the tiny things, and I think once you’ve got something in your life that’s massive outside of rugby, you have more of an overall picture. Every second is a second away from Lucy, so I want to make sure I do everything 130%. It has focused me into what I want to do and where I want to get to.”

Lucy has an England kit and will be in Paris for the entire World Cup as the team’s favourite mascot. “My mum says she is very similar to me, she is a really excitable, sporty kid,” says Croker. “She loves everything, can pass a rugby ball and knows how to tackle. It would be amazing if she played for England one day, and hopefully she’ll play for my club.”

More than anything, Croker is thankful for the support she receives from her team-mates and her family. “Having a girl in the squad with a baby isn’t the easiest thing to deal with, but everyone’s been amazing, and worked really hard to help me balance between focusing on rugby and also having time with my daughter.”

England begin their World Cup campaign on 1 August against Samoa, broadcast on Sky Sports 2

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England"s Emma Croker relishing prospect of Women"s Rugby World Cup