“It’s a space where anyone’s welcome – anyone, any shape, any size, any colour, any cultural differences – everyone is welcome,” she added.
“For me, being a black woman from south London, I’ve kind of had to learn, not the hard way, but had a bumpy road.
“Now I’m in it and have seen it and feel it, it’s amazing being in women’s rugby.”
She went on to play for Richmond and Wasps before joining Loughborough Lightning in 2021.
As well as earning her World Cup gold and silver medals, Kabeya has represented England in four Grand Slam-winning Six Nations Championships.
“It’s bigger than now [to win the World Cup], it’s bigger than us as a team. To be hitting record-breaking crowds, for us we just want to grow the game – to show anyone that they can pick up a rugby ball, get down, enjoy it.
“We’ll see in the next couple of years what this impact of winning a World Cup really has done.
“Our thing is for the girls – for the future, for the girls who played before, for the girls of now.”
